National highway development has witnessed major progress in recent years. The speed and scale of development have been brisk. Alongside, there has been a growing focus on safety, asset quality and sustainability. A policy push from the government has also helped create a level playing field. At recent industry events, Santosh Kumar Yadav, Chairman, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), emphasised the importance of predictive safety, the adoption of advanced technology tools and the wide-scale implementation of best practices. Edited excerpts…
India’s network of national highways currently spans approximately 150,000 km, expanding at an accelerated pace of around 10,000 km annually. NHAI constructs approximately 6,000 km of roads annually; in terms of lane-km, this amounts to about 25,000 km each year. However, the country ranks low in road safety, with a high number of accidents and fatalities. Consequently, road safety requires a proactive approach and must be addressed from multiple angles.
Spotlight on safety
Currently, actions tend to be taken only after incidents occur, such as identifying black spots following accidents. However, this approach is insufficient; technology is essential to adopt a predictive stance. A clear road map must be developed to integrate artificial intelligence and other technological solutions for predicting, monitoring and analysing traffic and accident patterns.
Our roads need to be safe, efficient and smart – goals that are achievable only through the use of advanced technological tools. NHAI has already begun implementing technologies such as drone mapping and network survey vehicles for monitoring and data analysis. A pilot project for multilevel free-flow systems, designed to enable seamless transportation, is also currently under way.
While technology remains critical, the maintenance and management of road assets predominantly depend on skilled human involvement. Barring future scenarios where robots may play a more significant role, the human workforce remains central, underscoring the importance of continuous training and upskilling. Identifying existing skill gaps and fostering collaboration among academia, industry and the government are essential to bridge these gaps. Simultaneously, evolving policies and regulations must promote innovation and encourage investment aligned with emerging requirements. In this context, NHAI is open to discussions on potential improvements to current policies and circulars.
However, the success of such initiatives hinges on adequate funding, necessitating the expansion of financial resources beyond government support. The government’s overall budget, amounting to around Rs 13 trillion-Rs 14 trillion, earmarks about Rs 3 trillion for the road sector. Alternative sources have now assumed greater importance. Of late, asset monetisation has emerged as a critical resource mobilisation strategy. In fact, NHAI has generated about Rs 1.2 trillion through monetisation till date.
Asset quality and efficiency check needed
A recent visit to a highway stretch in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, revealed variations in the quality and durability of highway road markings. For one stretch, the maintenance team employed an improved formulation involving increased titanium dioxide and slightly reduced glass bead content, resulting in markings that remained visually intact for over three years. Conversely, another stretch experienced deterioration within a year. Therefore, adopting efficient practices to maintain asset health and quality is imperative.
Most road concessions include provisions for patrol vehicles; however, these vehicles often carry excessive and unnecessary equipment, leading to operational inefficiencies. Reviewing existing patrol vehicle designs and implementing practical modifications without incurring more costs can yield more functional and innovative solutions, benefiting all stakeholders involved in highway management.
In line with this, regular interaction and collaboration between the National Highways Builders Federation and the Highway Operators Association of India is essential. In line with this, NHAI plans to establish a forum to promote synergy between the two.
“A clear road map must be developed to integrate artificial intelligence and other technological solutions for predicting, monitoring and analysing traffic and accident patterns.”
Sustainability initiatives
NHAI has consistently upheld a guiding principle – whenever road construction is undertaken, it must be executed in harmony with nature, prioritising greenery, sustainability and holistic development.
Under the Ek Ped Maa ke Naam initiative, around 50 million trees have been planted. This year alone, 5.3 million trees will be planted. Additionally, an emphasis has been placed on ensuring that within a 10 km radius of major city national highways, travellers experience the presence of greenery alongside roads. For this, around 54 metropolises with 78 national highways have been identified. This year, efforts will focus on enhancing these highways with greenery, including median plantations and flowers, to beautify them. In tandem with the principle of preserving large trees, approximately 100,000 trees have been transplanted with a survival rate of 85 per cent.
A large-scale initiative is under way for bamboo plantations, particularly along new expressways such as the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway. This will extend over 220 km on both sides and aims to support crash barriers while also boosting the local economy. Local tree varieties are carefully selected for plantation based on their suitability to each region. Most importantly, tree planting instructions are followed by engaging concessionaires, non-governmental organisations, forest departments, local self-help groups and livelihood missions.
The maintenance of the planted trees is monitored using drone analytics. Drones are used monthly over newly constructed and operational roads. Additionally, comprehensive drone video analyses are conducted every six months to assess tree density and height. Additionally, an MoU with the National Remote Sensing Centre enables the monitoring and measurement of the green cover on highways via satellite.
In Karnataka, two toll plazas, Bijapur and Nagar Halli, have been fully commissioned with solar power, marking a successful initiative. With about 1,100 publicly funded toll plazas, the plan is to extend the deployment of solar power to each of them.
Around five to six months ago, an energy-generating turbine was installed in the median near Bawal on the Jaipur road from Gurugram. Building on the success of this initiative, this will be replicated in other locations.
In about 510 Amrit Sarovar sites, lakes have been excavated, with the soil then being used for road construction. These sites have been subsequently beautified. A circular economy approach is emphasised, using fly ash from power plants to construct 2,000 km of roads and incorporating 7 tonnes of plastic per km in 1,300 km of roads. Additionally, 6 million metric tonnes of municipal waste is utilised in projects such as the Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway.
Steel slag has been used successfully to replace 100 per cent of the aggregate for 81 km of National Highway 66 (Mumbai-Goa highway), with plans for nationwide roll-out. Bitumen recycling has also been successfully piloted over a 90 km stretch from Ghaziabad to Aligarh, with replication planned.
In Odisha, a pilot project is under way using red mud (bauxite residue) for road construction. FASTag, with 99 per cent penetration across the country, is saving approximately 710 million man-hours of vehicle time and yielding monetary savings estimated at Rs 700 billion per year, along with fuel savings of about Rs 52 billion and a reduction of 1.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions valued at Rs 7 billion annually.
Other best practices
Some of the current best practices include highway lighting and rainwater harvesting. As a practice, NHAI conducts weekly capacity-building sessions involving project directors, regional officers, concessionaires, authority engineers and consultants. These sessions focus on select themes, presented by industry practitioners, promoting sector-wide knowledge dissemination. For instance, recent sessions led by experts combined insightful presentations with interactive sessions, facilitating the exchange of best practices across the sector. Moreover, making brief videos showcasing best practices for road construction and maintenance via the NHAI YouTube channel is highly advocated to extend learning opportunities nationwide.
To enhance communication and foster further collaboration, a WhatsApp group called Pahal (meaning initiative) has been proposed. This platform will include all key stakeholders to facilitate the sharing of best practices and maintain stakeholder engagement. It will enable direct enquiry and communication, cultivating a cooperative culture that benefits NHAI and road construction.
“Asset monetisation has emerged as a critical resource mobilisation strategy. NHAI has generated about Rs 1.2 trillion through monetisation till date.”
