India’s National Highways Network Expands to 1,46,572 Km Since 2014: Shri Nitin Gadkari

India’s national highways network has expanded to 1,46,572 km, registering an increase of more than 55,000 km since March 2014, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways informed the Rajya Sabha. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the growth reflects continuous construction and upgradation of highways based on traffic demand, connectivity needs, road conditions and alignment with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan. Development and maintenance of national highways, including routes connecting urban, rural and industrial areas, remain an ongoing process.

The ministry stated that projects such as capacity augmentation are undertaken according to traffic density and strategic connectivity requirements. With higher budgetary allocations over the years, the quality of highways has improved significantly. The length of operational access-controlled national high speed corridors and expressways has risen from 93 km in 2014 to 3,052 km at present.

The network of four-lane and above highways, including access-controlled corridors, has grown 2.6 times from 18,371 km in 2014 to 48,568 km now. The share of less than two-lane highways has reduced from 30 percent in 2014 to 9 percent of the total network. These developments have strengthened connectivity and accessibility for urban, rural and industrial regions while enhancing logistics efficiency across the country.