The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has introduced new guidelines for the planning and design of upcoming four-lane and six-lane greenfield and brownfield access-controlled high-speed National Highways. The guidelines prohibit median openings and at-grade intersections on these corridors to reduce conflict points and improve road safety.
The guidelines prescribe advance signage for exits at 5 km, 2 km, 1 km and 500 metres to enable motorists to change lanes safely. The corridors will also use flush medians with wire ropes or crash barriers instead of raised concrete median dividers.
Lane configuration and right of way will be determined based on projected traffic. The guidelines provide for a 60-metre or 70-metre right of way, depending on traffic requirements and the infrastructure planned along the corridor.
The new standards will apply to upcoming four-lane and six-lane access-controlled high-speed national highways such as the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, Ambala-Kotputli corridor and Trans-Haryana corridor.
The new framework is part of plans to develop around 50,000 km of access-controlled high-speed corridors by 2047 and is intended to bring greater uniformity to the preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for such highways.