NHAI builds 1,470-km roads during lockdown

The national highway construction grew at a rapid pace even during the lockdown due to the pandemic. MoRTH informed that the agency has added another 1,470 km of national highways in the last two months. NHAI has increased national highway construction by a massive 73.5 per cent as compared to the same period last year. During both these phases, several parts in India faced lockdown restrictions due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. NHAI constructed 847 kms of national highways between April and May this year, while another 663 kms of national highway projects were awarded by the end of last month. In 2020-21 fiscal, the NHAI managed to add around 4,350 km of highway projects. It is also ramping up the pipeline of highway projects to be awarded in the first quarter of FY2021-2022. The authority is expected to bid out highway projects worth around ₹50,000 crore in the first quarter of the next financial year. India has seen one of the fastest-growing networks of national highways under union minister Nitin Gadkari. Earlier this year, the National Highways Authority of India completed the development of a 25.54 km single-lane stretch of road in just 18 hours, creating a world record. The stretch that made it to the record books is situated on the four-lane highway between Vijaypur and Solapur on the NH-52. NHAI had created another world record in February for laying the highest quantity of concrete on a four-lane highway within one day. The feat was achieved by the contractor Patel Infrastructure and entered the India Book of Records and Golden Book of World Records.