With the proliferation of infrastructure in India, we have achieved a pioneer level in transport and connectivity all over the country. According to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) reports, over 50% of national highways built and expanded since 2014.
According to the latest data from the government, the national highway network underwent construction and expansion, which involved strengthening, covering a distance of 77,400km between April 2014 and October 2022.
This distance represents more than fifty percent of the total length of the country’s national highway network. Basic Road Statistics report reveals that the total length of national highways network in India increased from 70,934 kilometres in the fiscal year 2010-2011 to 114,156 kilometres in the fiscal year 2016-2017. As on 30 November 2022, the total length of National Highways in the country was 1,44,634 km.
Expressways are the highest class of roads in India, controlled-access highways designed for a maximum speed of 120 km/hr. The Expressway may be owned by the Central Government or State Government depending upon whether the route is a National Highway or a State Road. As of March 2023, India’s expressway network has a total length of 4067.27 km (2,527.719mi), which was a significant increase in comparison with 580 km in 2011-12.
According to government data, NHAI has planned to develop 2,638 km of expressways out of which 237 km of expressways have already been completed and 1,344 km of Expressways are currently under implementation while the remaining 1,057 km of Expressways are currently at various stages of preconstruction.
List of major Expressways completed in New India, after 2014:
| Expressways | Year of completion |
| Delhi – Jaipur section of Delhi-Mumbai expressway | Feb 2023 |
| Delhi–Meerut Expressway | Apr 2021 |
| Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway | Dec 2022 |
| Bangalore-Mysuru Expressway | Feb 2023 |
| Bundelkhand Expressway | Jul 2022 |
| Purvanchal Expressway | Nov 2021 |
| Agra – Lucknow Expressway | Nov 2016 |
List of major ongoing expressway project by NHAI:
| Expressways | Year of completion |
| Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway | Jan 2024 |
| Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway | Mar 2024 |
| Raipur-Vizag Expressway | Mar 2024 |
| Indore-Hyderabad Expressway | Mar 2025 |
| Kharagpur-Siliguri Expressway | Mar 2025 |
| Delhi – Dehradun Expressway | Dec 2023 |
| Delhi – Amritsar – Katra Expressway | Dec 2023 |
| Lucknow – Kanpur Expressway | Jan 2024 |
| Ganga – Expressway | March 2024 |
| Ghaziabad – Aligarh Expressway |
In recent years, several significant expressway projects have been completed in India, including the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway (Phase-I), which at 520 km (320 mi) is the longest expressway in India, completed in 2022. The Delhi – Dasna (UP border) section of the Delhi–Meerut Expressway, completed in 2021, is the widest expressway with 14 lanes. The recently inaugurated Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway is a 6-10 lane access-controlled highway, 119 km long, developed at a cost of Rs 8,480 crore. Purvanchal expressway is well-known for an event that took place in Nov, 2021. Thirty fighter planes landed and showcased on the newly constructed 340-km long Purvanchal Expressway.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday informed that in a proud moment, the Ghaziabad-Aligarh Expressway has made history by achieving a remarkable feat of world record – laying of Bituminous Concrete over a distance of 100 lane kilometres in an unprecedented time of 100 hours. “This accomplishment highlights the dedication and ingenuity of India’s road infrastructure industry” Tweeted Nitin Gadkari.
Key features and benefits of New India’s Expressways:
The new 26 green expressways will be massive time-savers in the history of road transport. It will be facilitating least time durations as following:
Since 2019, NHAI has converted all toll lanes at all national highways to ‘FASTag lanes’, a move that made travel through toll plazas seamless and remove congestion.
The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway boasts of a comprehensive range of safety and security measures, including strict enforcement of speed limits. To ensure thorough monitoring of the expressway, CCTV cameras have been installed at intervals of one kilometre, covering a radius of 500 meters on both sides of the road.
Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, has been widely acclaimed for his outstanding contributions towards road infrastructure development since 2019. His exemplary tenure has garnered appreciation not only from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party but also from opposition leaders. He had proposed a visionary “Bharatmala Pariyojana- a stepping stone towards new India” in October 2017. He said “Bharatmala will provide NH linkage to 550 districts, and be a major driver for economic growth in the country and help realize Prime Minister Shri Modi’s vision of a New India.”
A comparison of road distribution in kms during the year 2012-13 and 2021-22:
| National Highways/ Expressways | 79,116 kms |
| State Highways | 1,55,716 kms |
| Other Roads | 44,55,010 kms |
| National Highways/ Expressways | 1,40,995 kms |
| State Highways | 49,83,579 kms |
| Other Roads | 60,59,813 kms |
In 2021-22, An allocation of ₹79,577 crore has been made to the Ministry under the Central Road Fund which was ₹19423 crore in 2012-13.
Conclusion:
New India’s roads and transport system has reached an epitome of excellence after 2014. In an interview with ANI Nitin Gadkari claims that India’s roads will be at par with America’s roads before 2024. According to his statement, there has been a significant improvement in the development of Indian roads and highways in the past eight years, particularly since 2014. He notes that this progress surpasses the advancements made in the previous 65 years.
Author : Kaveri Madhak
Author Description : Kaveri Madhak is pursuing her master's in mass communication and journalism, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. She is currently interning at Gujarat Samachar, Ahmedabad. She is doing research on 'Hindu activism and advocacy through social media: A case study of selected twitter handles'. Her articles have been published on various renowned platforms like Hindu Post, OpIndia and India Fact.
Disclaimer : The views, thoughts, or opinions expressed in this blogs belong solely to the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of author’s employer, organisation, committee or any other group or individual.
