India has the second-largest road network in the world, spanning a total of 5.89 million kilometres (kms).
Private sector has emerged as a key player in the development of road infrastructure in India. Increased industrial activities, along with increasing number of two and four wheelers have supported the growth in road transport infrastructure projects. The Government’s policy to increase private sector participation has proved to be a boon for the infrastructure industry with many private players entering the business through the public-private partnership (PPP) model. In FY21, there were 125 PPP projects worth US$ 23.25 billion in India.
NHAI is planning to award 1,000-1,500 km of projects under the BOT model in 2023-24.
With the Government permitting 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the road sector, several foreign companies have formed partnerships with Indian players to capitalise on the sector's growth. Cumulative FDI inflows in construction development stood at US$ 26.35 billion between April 2000-March 2023. The Government’s move to cut GST rates on construction equipment from 28% to 18% is expected to give boost to the industry.
In FY23, a total of 107,779 units of construction equipment were sold, registering an increase of 26%.
India's road network has grown 59% to become the second-largest in the world in the last nine years. India has nearly 64 lakh km of total road network and the National Highways network alone stood at 145,240 km in 2022-23 compared to 91,287 km in 2013-14.
The Government of India has allocated Rs. 111 lakh crore (US$ 1.4 trillion) under the National Infrastructure Pipeline for FY19-FY25. The roads sector is likely to account for 18% capital expenditure over FY19-FY25.
NHAI plans to construct 25,000 kilometres of national highways in 2022-23 at a pace of 50 km per day.
Under the Union Budget 2023-24, the Government of India has allocated Rs. 2.7 lakh crore (US$ 33 billion) to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
To improve commuting experience on National Highways, NHAI will develop Wayside Amenities (WSA) at more than 600 locations on National Highways and Expressways by FY25. Wayside Amenities will be developed every 40-60 km of current and upcoming National Highways and Expressways.
A total of 202 national highway projects worth Rs. 79,789 crore (US$ 9.59 billion) are at the implementation stage in the country and are 6,270 km in length.
NHAI is working towards development of around 10,000 km of Optic Fibre Cables (OFC) infrastructure across the country by FY25. National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), will implement the network of Digital Highways by developing integrated utility corridors along the National Highways to develop OFC infrastructure.
The country's first elevated eight-lane access control Dwarka expressway of 29.6 km length is being built at a cost of Rs. 9000 crore (US$ 1.09 billion) and will be almost completed in April 2024.
In FY24 (until July), cumulatively, 2,670 km of National Highways have been constructed and has been 1,125 km awarded.
In FY23, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways constructed national highways extending 10,993 kms.
In August 2023, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) made a big step towards improving the highway user experience, with the introduction of 'Rajmargyatra,' a citizen-centric unified mobile application. This user-friendly app provides travellers with in-depth knowledge of Indian National Highways as well as an effective procedure for filing complaints.
In July 2023, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi dedicated a six-lane greenfield motorway part of the Amritsar-Jamnagar Economic Corridor and the first phase of the Inter-State Transmission Line for Green Energy Corridor.
Increasing the pace of development of Uttar Pradesh, the Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways, Mr. Nitin Gadkari inaugurated two National Highway projects with an investment of more than Rs. 3,300 crore (US$ 396.8 million) in Lucknow on July 17, 2023.
In June 2023, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) introduced a ‘Knowledge Sharing’ platform for sharing of knowledge and innovative best practices. This effort, which is hosted on the NHAI website, will assist the authority in working with specialists and citizens who want to exchange knowledge and views about subjects including road design, construction, road safety, environmental sustainability, and related sectors. The platform will promote the exchange of best practices from all around the world and work to strengthen the nation's national highway system.
In Andhra Pradesh, 70 projects underway, totaling 2,014 kms and costing Rs. 33,540 crore (US$ 4.09 billion) are currently in progress.
In March 2023, NHAI has invited bid to help in developing Wayside Amenities at more than 600 locations on National Highways and Expressways by FY25.
In February 2023, Mr. Nitin Gadkari has approved the development of 32 km long 6-lane Access Controlled Greenfield Highway on NH-544G Bengaluru–Vijayawada Economic Corridor in Hybrid Annuity Mode in Andhra Pradesh worth US$ 157 million (Rs. 1,292.65 crors).
As of March 2022, the government plans to spend Rs. 10,565 crore (US$ 1.38 billion) on the Trans-Arunachal Highway and Kaladan Multi-Model Transport Project, as well as other roads development projects such as capital connectivity, district connectivity, connectivity to the international border, and improvement and strengthening of roads in the region of Sikkim.
In August 2021, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Mr. Nitin Gadkari announced to launch 1,080-km (road construction) projects worth Rs. 25,370 crore (US$ 3.4 billion) in Gujarat under the Bharatmala Pariyojana—the ambitious road and highways project that aims to build highways from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and then cover the entire string of Himalayan territories. In FY22 (until December 2021) the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways constructed national highways extending 5,835 kms.
In September 2021, to transform road infrastructure in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, the Indian government has planned to construct roads extending 313 kms for Rs. 11,000 crore (US$ 1.48 billion). The Indian government announced road projects worth Rs. 1 lakh crore (US$ 13.48 billion) to develop road infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir. The region has also witnessed growth in national highways, from 7 in 2014 to 11 in 2021.
In September 2021, the Government of Maharashtra approved a 173.7-kilometre long outer-ring road project in Pune, worth Rs. 26,831 crore (US$ 3.61 billion).
In October 2021, the government issued a notice related to concessions under the Vehicle Scrapping Policy (effective from April 2022) to encourage vehicle owners towards discarding old vehicles which have higher fuel consumption costs.
In October 2021, the government launched a conversion project for 15 major roads in the Agartala smart city, the project will convert these roads to weather-resilient ones, and further strengthen development of the region.
In October 2021, the government announced rules to improve road safety, such as fixed driving hours for commercial truck drivers and a mandate to install sleep detection sensors in commercial vehicles.
In October 2021, the government announced a plan to install charging stations every 40 to 60 kilometres on national highways to strengthen wayside amenities; in line with this, ~700 e-vehicle charging stations are expected to be installed by 2023, covering 35,000 to 40,000 kms of national highways.
In September 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways constructed national highways extending 3,824 kms compared with 3,335 kms in August 2021.
In July 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways granted 162 kms road highway (New NH-365BG), as part of the economic corridor under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, with an aim to connect Andhra Pradesh and Telangana via a robust road infrastructure that supports speed of 100kms/hour. The total project cost is Rs. 2,600 crore (US$ 350 million).
Under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir, 3,261 roads of length of 19,277 kms and 243 bridges have been sanctioned, out of which 1858 roads of length 11,517 kms and 84 bridges have been completed. Similarly, in the UT of Ladakh, 142 roads of length of 1207 kms and 3 bridges have been sanctioned, out of which 96 roads of length 699 kms and 2 bridges have been completed until July 2020. As of August 20, 2023 a total of 742,844 Km road length has been constructed under PMGSY.
The Indian government launched Gati Shakti-National Master Plan, which will help lead a holistic and integrated development of infrastructure generating immense employment opportunities in the country.
CareEdge Ratings estimates that India will require additional infrastructure investment of US$ 18-20 trillion in the next 25 years to become a US$ 25-30 trillion economy by 2047.
India’s Gati Shakti program has consolidated a list of 81 high impact projects, out of which road infrastructure projects were the top priority. The major highway projects include the Delhi-Mumbai expressway (1,350 kilometres), Amritsar-Jamnagar expressway (1,257 kilometres) and Saharanpur-Dehradun expressway (210 kilometres). The main aim of this program is a faster approval process which can be done through the Gati shakti portal and digitized the approval process completely.
Note: TOT - toll operate transfer, * - investments include Budgetary support, IEBR refers to Internal and Extra Budgetary Resources and constitutes the resources raised by the public sector units through profits, loans and equity and Private sector investments; according to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, ^ - FDI in construction development Includes: Townships, housing, built-up infrastructure and construction-development projects
