India’s road infrastructure has undergone significant development, with a constant focus on improving the overall connectivity while also establishing critical links even in geographically challenging regions. As a priority sector for the centre, the sector has witnessed ambitious highway construction targets to build a world-class network of expressways, speedy project awards and rapid execution to support these targets. The construction landscape has further been supported by efforts to constantly maintain a favourable policy regime for all stakeholders. While it is crucial to prioritise speedy road construction to expand the overall network, it is equally important to ensure that quality is not compromised.
India is surpassing several developing nations in deploying cutting-edge technologies and materials to enhance quality. The country’s growth in the coming decades will be defined not only by connecting the missing links but also by the use of technology and innovation to create a lasting and safe structure that adheres to technical standards and engineering practices. Furthermore, by prioritising the construction of safer and more resilient roads, the road network is bound to be significantly safer. This would further eliminate the need for frequent road maintenance.
Sustaining the sector legacy
Over the years, numerous road construction programmes have been launched, each with distinctive objectives, yet collectively aimed at establishing a top-tier road network and enhancing India’s global competitiveness. For instance, the Golden Quadrilateral Highway Project aimed at achieving transport efficiency and a reduction in travel time between Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata; the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched to provide all-weather road connectivity to rural areas; and Bharatmala Pariyojana is aimed at optimising the efficiency of freight and passenger movement.
Recently, the focus has shifted towards the construction of high-speed access-controlled highways to facilitate the development of a highway network that improves efficiency, further reduces logistics costs and accelerates the country’s goal to become a developed nation by 2047. This has been supported by the fiscal policy “Viksit Bharat 2047”. As per the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the plan is to increase the national highway (NH) network to over 200,000 km, with an over 10-fold jump in access-controlled highways to 50,000 km over the next decade, while also reducing accidents by 95 per cent over the next 25 years. Blackspot rectification has also assumed greater importance.
Furthermore, the centre plans to revamp the PMGSY programme, to upgrade the existing rural road network while simultaneously improving living standards. This includes establishing a link to every crevice and cranny of rural India, to make economic, educational, health, social and agricultural hubs accessible.
Pioneering progress
The quality of any road is a multifaceted measure, encompassing factors such as the construction technique used, the choice of durable materials and the type of road being developed. These aspects shape the road travel experience for commuters. In a recent development, the centre has planned the conversion of all existing single-lane national highways into double lanes. This upgrade for Indian roads is a huge makeover.
Moreover, as per industry experts, going forward, all national highways will be required to have two lanes along with paved shoulders to receive the “NH” tag. In addition, this new standard will be outlined in the regulations governing road construction in the country. By enforcing standards for high quality road construction, this measure is an encouraging development for the sector. Its implementation will help establish a uniform NH network, optimise the flow of traffic movement and guarantee enhanced safety, a key need for a densely populated country like India.
In tandem with this, another complementary development, the introduction of a new measuring method for roads is under consideration. The government is contemplating a transition in its measuring method from the “road km” metric to “lane km”. If this becomes the official approach to measure roads, it is clearly aimed at multiple lane-focused construction and expanding road infrastructure. This will further be used to standardise historical data to compare road construction statistics. Accordingly, as the number of lanes being constructed in the country becomes a major competitive indicator, the centre’s focus on execution is expected to remain ambitious with a high pace of construction.
Innovation takes wing
Potholes have long plagued rural and urban road travellers in India. Despite significant technological advancements in highway connectivity, the pothole issue remains unresolved. These physical hindrances cause traffic congestion and vehicle damage, and can lead to accidents as well. The conditions of the pothole-ridden roads worsen even more during the rainy season as water further deteriorates road surfaces. In response to this, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is exploring an innovative approach, which involves the use of self-healing materials for road development.
This innovative solution involves an asphalt blend designed to enable a road to autonomously repair itself. This composite, comprising steel fibres and bitumen, allows the bitumen to expand and fill gaps when they appear. The self-healing asphalt technology works by embedding tiny steel wool fragments into the bitumen, making it conductive and allowing it to be heated through an induction process. This heating enables the bitumen to reattach to the stones and gravel within the asphalt, effectively repairing cracks and preventing potholes from forming.
While the concept of self-healing road materials has been around for some time now, it is only recently that India has started to consider its widespread adoption. NHAI plans to conduct small-scale pilot tests on select highways to evaluate the effectiveness and cost efficiency of these materials. If successful, the introduction of self-healing highways could significantly enhance India’s road infrastructure in the near future. Moreover, this technology can make roads last for over 80 years.
In the interim budget for 2024-25, MoRTH has allocated around Rs 26 billion for road maintenance, consistent with the maintenance expenditure worth Rs 25.73 billion incurred during 2022-23 and Rs 26 billion during 2023-24. This allocation, along with the overall sector budget, exemplifies a strong commitment to driving change in the sector while bringing initiatives like self-healing roads to fruition.
In sum
The centre has responded to the ever-changing regulatory demands, growing needs and challenges of the road sector, strengthening its significance in the overall economy. The emphasis on qualitative road construction in recent years has contributed to the growth of India’s economy. Furthermore, the development of roads has been inclusive of both urban and rural needs, enabling healthy growth and comprehensive development.
With the recent revival of build-operate-transfer (toll) projects, under which road maintenance falls in the hands of private contractors, the quality of the road is expected to be a key focus during the construction stage.
The adoption of various organisational and technological innovations has further helped the sector. In an effort to maintain and retain the quality of the road being constructed, network survey vehicles are being employed to conduct highway mapping via light detection and ranging technology. Advanced survey techniques, such as high resolution digital cameras for comprehensive imagery and laser road profilometers for measuring distress on road surfaces are also being used. Drone videography is now a common practice for recording the construction and operations and maintenance of all NHs. New construction materials, including modified bitumen, fly ash, plastic waste and steel slag, are gaining traction.
To reiterate, expanding the overall road network while consistently enhancing its quality are the two cornerstones of enhanced road infrastructure. In line with this, despite a slowdown in project awards during 2023, MoRTH spent Rs 545 billion (20 per cent of the allocated capex for 2024-25) in April 2024. This demonstrates the centre’s steadfast dedication to road infrastructure even during an election year. It further plans to construct over 1,700 km of highways in the next three months while awarding over 3,000 km of roads.
Harman Mangat
