India constructs 1,41,000 km national highways in last seven years

New Delhi, India (Urban Transport News): Pace of construction increased from 12 km per day in 2014-15 to 37 km per day in 2020-21 (by more than 3 times). 4,410 km National Highways constructed in 2014-15, while 13,327 km National Highways constructed in 2020-21. In the last 7 years, length of National Highways has gone up by more than 50% from 91,287 km (as on April 2014) to around 1,41,000 km now.

In the current financial year 2021-22, the National Highway Authority of India under Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has so far built 5,407 km on NHs (as on 24 December, 2021).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Delhi-Dehradun Expressway (Economic Corridor) of 179 km to be built at a cost of Rs 8,500 crore and Haridwar Spur, connecting Haridwar with Delhi-Dehradun Expressway at a cost of Rs 2,100 crore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 16 km Varanasi Ring Road project and Varanasi – Ghazipur (72 km) highway project.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for four laning of five sections of Shri Sant Gyaneshawar Maharaj Palkhi Marg (NH-965) and three sections of Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi Marg (NH-965G) at Pandharpur in Maharashtra through video conferencing in November. This will facilitate the movement of Lord Vitthal’s devotees coming from all over the country and outside beyond to Pandharpur. The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation more than 223 Km of completed and upgraded road projects, constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 1180 crore at different National Highways for boosting connectivity to Pandharpur.

Union RTH Minister Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for 25 National Highway Projects of total length 257 Km with an investment of Rs 11,721 crore at Doda in Jammu & Kashmir. These projects will not only provide all weather connectivity within the valley and agricultural, industrial & socio-economic progress of the region but will also facilitate swift movement of defence forces. The projects will involve rehabilitation and upgradation of some sections, construction of viaduct and tunnel and rectification of black spots in the region.

Union RTH Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated four National highways projects worth Rs 3,037 crore with total length of 146 km in Mirzapur (UP) and laid foundation stone for three NH projects in Jaunpur which will cover 86 km with a total cost of Rs 1,123 crore.

An MoU was signed between the NHAI and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust at Nagpur to set up a multi-modal logistics park at Sindhi in Wardha district. Speaking on the occasion, Union RTH Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari said Nagpur, being in the heart of the country, has the full potential of becoming a logistics capital.

Union RTH Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated NH projects with a total cost of Rs 8,364 crore in Meerut. He also laid foundation stone NH projects worth Rs 755 crore in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.