The road ministry has built around 92,000 km of national highways in nine-and-a-half years and this will go up to 95,000 km by the end of March 2024, road transport and highways secretary Anurag Jain.
Speaking at the two-day conference of road infrastructure, organised by the International Road Federation, Jain said the focus going forward will be on building more high-speed access controlled highways.
“We are focusing on high speed corridors with a vision for the next 30 years,” he said, adding these are being built for the next fifty years keeping in mind prospective congestion and increasing population needs. “This will help avoid construction of bye passes and redoing of roads again and again,” he said.
According to Jain, these high speed corridors are also being constructed including value engineering at a detailed project report (DPR) level with focus on use of sustainable technologies, raw materials and safety.
Jain further said that the ministry has identified most of black spots on the national highways in the country and most of them will be covered up by the end of March 2025.
“The demand for well-designed and well-maintained roads has increased tremendously as we strive to meet the rapidly growing population & expanding urbanization,” KK Kapila, president emeritus, International Road Federation (IRF) said.
“It is imperative to revolutionize road infrastructure development by incorporating modern equipment, cutting-edge technologies, sustainable materials, and comprehensive policy guidelines,” Kapila added.