The Indian government has set a target to construct 10,000 km of national highways (NHs) in 2025-26, the lowest target in the past seven years. However, the road transport and highways ministry continues to prioritize the development of wider and greenfield highways, with a focus on high-speed corridors. These are expected to reach 5,800 km in the next year. The ministry’s budget document, released on Monday, outlines highway construction trends since 2018-19, noting the highest figure of 13,327 km in 2020-21 despite the pandemic. In the last financial year, the total stood at 12,349 km, and by March this year, it is projected to reach approximately 10,500 km. As of mid-February, around 8,000 km of NHs had been constructed.
Highway Construction Targets Set with Focus on Safety and Investment
Officials suggest that the FY26 target may be revised later, but the pace of construction will likely slow down due to fewer highway projects under implementation and the delayed award of new projects in the past two financial years. The ministry also aims to raise Rs 30,000 crore through the monetization of completed highway projects and secure Rs 35,000 crore in private investment.
Additionally, the government has allocated Rs 128 crore to provide cashless treatment for road crash victims, a scheme currently in place in several states and UTs. The ministry also plans to remove 1,000 ‘black spots’ on NHs and conduct road safety audits on 40,000 km of highways to improve road safety.
