The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has put forward plans to construct and expand approximately 41,000 km of national highways. This ambitious proposal includes the development of 15,000 km of controlled-access high-speed lanes, with an anticipated completion date of FY 2031-2032 and an estimated capital expenditure of Rs 19.5 lakh crore.
According to the outlined highway development master plan, the initial phase of projects is set to be open for bidding by 2028–2029, with construction expected to conclude by 2031–2032.
The successful implementation of these projects is poised to almost double the average travel speed on the National Highways (NH) network, elevating it from the current 47 km/h to an impressive 85 km/h.
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The normal speed in China is approx 90 km/h, whereas United States highways is over 100 km/h.
This significant increase in average travel speeds is expected to be critical to the government's goal of reducing logistics costs to 9-10% of GDP. This would result in a significant reduction in the current allocation of 18% of GDP.
According to (MORTH) The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’s assessment, India will immediately need about 50,000 km of high-speed corridors to meet its transportation needs effectively.
The Nation has just 3,900 kilometres of high-speed corridors at the moment, but it is estimated that the number will rise to 11,000 km by 2026-2027.
To fill this significant gap the government has established 36,500 km of new high-speed corridors, focusing on constructing four- and six-lane highways over the next 2 decades. This calculated move is expected to reduce traffic congestion and significantly improve the efficiency and expansion of India's transport network in the near future.
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