Established in : 1952.
 

MANDATE

• To conduct basic and applied research in important areas of highway engineering and allied subjects.
• To provide a know how for the construction of cost-effective, durable and safer roads.
• To evolve improved, rational and economical methods of design, construction and maintenance of roads, embankments, runways and bridges.
• To develop new tools, instruments and appliances relevant to indigenous/international highway practices.

MAIN FACILITIES

• A wide range of modern instruments for pavement evaluation and measuring skid resistance.
• Weight-in-motion systems for determination of axle load of vehicles.
• Computer-aided trivial testing of soils and other granular materials.
• Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) for analysis and characterization of materials.
• MTS repetitive triaxial shear test equipment for material characterization.
• Walk-in environment test chamber for testing the durability of cement, concrete and other building materials.
• Heavy duty pulsator for repetitive loading of repetitive intensities and frequencies for testing of structures and necessary reaction frame.
• Bi axial testing machine for elastometric bearings.
• Rock testing for universal compression  point load test and Brazilian test.
• 'Dipstic' auto read profiler, and Abay beam for road doughness measurements.
• Art-90 for psy-physical, psylogical and personality testing of drivers.
• Instrumented van for monitoring of air pollutants.

SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS                          

• The institute has completed a study, 'Road User Cost Study in India', which makes available, for the first time, data on the effects of road conditions on the vehicle operation cost and safety. Other significant contributions in road planning include: a study on traffic simulation modelling for inter-urban road sections, a planning model for rural road network, assessment for socio-economic impact of rural roads on the basis of 9-district level studies, and a study on the future needs of road technology.
• CRRI has developed many new techniques for road construction specially for stabilized soil rural roads, mechanically stabilized oil sub-base and thin salt-asphalt surfacing. Other techniques developed pertain to strengthening and rehabilitation of existing thin cement concrete pavements which show signs of distress, by providing suitable flexible and rigid overlays.
• CRRI has developed and propagated a number of techniques for stabilizing different types of soil occurring the country, which have enabled the construction of low-cost rural-roads. For the location of hidden deposits of low grade aggregates  the technique of air photo interpretation has been perfected at the institute.
• The institute has pioneered a number of control techniques and preventative measures to avert landslides. Notable among these are the technique of horizontal drilling to provide drains for quick ingress of water, spreading coir netting to promote vegetation on the hill slopes, geogrids to control rock falls and geotextiles to stabilize surged. Techniques like stone columns, lime columns, lime slurry have been sued to improve the strength and load bearing capacity of weak strata in many situations.
• The institute has developed the use of burnt clay pozzolana and lime-pozzolana mixtures for partial replacement of cement, low temperature tar as road binder, improved bituminous materials and mixes with polymer additives, fibre reinforcement, anti-oxidant and rejuvenating agents and durable bitumastic compounds for the paving of bridge decks.
• Various useful techniques for cement road construction, i.e lean cement concrete, lime flyash concrete, brick sandwiched concrete pavements, composite rigid pavements, and roller compacted concrete pavements have been developed.Rapid repair materials such as epoxy resins and magnesium phosphate cement have been developed for quick repair of distresssed cement concrete pavements.
• A new paving system comprising hollow precast concrete blocks with interconnecting dowels has been developed for desert areas. A few stretches are already in service in Rajasthan.
• To measure the riding quality of road surfaces, CRRI has developed and patented a series of road roughness measurement devices , viz. profilograph, unevenness indicator, road unevenness recorder and microprocessor based axle mounted system.The riding quality of trunk routes has been characterized, and pavement detoriation models , spectrum of axle load on National Highways, quality control methodology and pavement management system has been developed.
• Studies have been carried out on the road system for Bombay Metropolitan Region for the year 2001 and mobility levels in some selected cities and initial highway capacity norms for Indian conditions. Comprehensive studies have also been undertaken for urban transportation planning in the case of metropolitan and other cities in the country.
• Achievement in the field of Bridge engineering include non-destructive testing, computer programme for inventory rating of slab bridges, and Warrens Truss bridges, and corrosion inhibition in concrete bridges and surfacing coating of rebars.
• Investigations have been made to identify the sources of pollution and hazards and cost effective remedial measures have been suggested.
• The institute has contributed significantly in evolving better designs and formulation of codes of practice for expansion joints, wearing courses and bearings for the bridge decks. A technique for measuring deformation during the load test of bridges has also been developed.

 ACTING DIRECTOR
 Dr. S. M. Sarin
 

CONTACT ADDRESS
P.O CRRI, New Delhi. 110 020.
Telephone: (091)11-6848917.
Telegram : ROADSEARCH, NEW DELHI.
Telex    : 031-75369 CRRI IN.
Fax      : (091)11-6845943.
E-mail   : crri@sirnted.ernet.in