Road infrastructure development is a key indicator of a nation’s economic growth and success. Although there has been a lot of progress in the development of India’s state roads and highways, there are still certain concerns that need to be resolved, such as land acquisition, permission processing delays and the lack of an appropriate dispute resolution process. A look at the status of road development projects across major states…
Uttar Pradesh
Continuous efforts are being made by the Uttar Pradesh government to improve the state’s road infrastructure. In Uttar Pradesh’s 2023-24 budget, a provision of over Rs 211.59 billion has been proposed for the construction of roads and bridges, and Rs 62.09 billion for their maintenance. Besides, a Rs 34.73 billion provision has been proposed for work on roads and bridges for agricultural marketing facilities, and Rs 15.25 billion for roads in rural areas. The budget also proposed Rs 25.88 billion for widening/strengthening and “new works” of state highways.
Moreover, the state government is likely to release funds worth Rs 1.4 billion for two road projects soon. Funds worth Rs 1 billion have been allocated for the Ganga six-lane expressway project (Phase I), and Rs 400 million for the Bundelkhand six-lane expressway project (NH-35/76, NH-91) under the current year’s budget. These funds will be released soon. So far, a total of Rs 47.7 billion has been allocated for the Ganga expressway and Rs 62.7 billion for the Bundelkhand expressway. About 22 per cent of the work has been completed on the Ganga expressway project. Besides, 20 per cent of the main carriageway’s wet mix macadam construction process has been concluded, alongside side 18 per cent of the main carriageway’s dense bituminous macadam process
Meanwhile, the state is likely to release funds worth Rs 100 million to expedite the purchase of land in Sambhal. The state government recently allocated funds worth Rs 486.2 million for the Delhi-Noida-Direct Maharani Bagh-Jaitpur-Pushta-Ballabgarh road project. The Gautam Buddha Nagar district administration has acquired 64 acres of private land for the project at Rs 2.5 billion.
Some of the big-ticket upcoming projects in the state are the Ganga six-lane expressway project, the India (Uttar Pradesh)-Nepal border road project and the Varanasi-Bhadohi-Machhalishahar four-laning road project (NH-18). The state government has also decided to develop a network of 32 industrial cities along the five expressways in the state. Of these, three have been identified so far: Purvanchal expressway from Lucknow to Gazipur, Ganga expressway from Meerut to Prayagraj and Bundelkhand expressway from Etawah to Chitrakoot. The project will be implemented by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority.
Maharashtra
The Maharashtra administration is working consistently to upgrade the state’s transportation system. The Maharashtra government has allocated funds worth Rs 1.47 billion for the development of road infrastructure in Navi Mumbai under the 2023-24 state budget. Of this, Rs 470 million is for rural roads, Rs 580 million for district roads, and certain specific amounts for the remaining work on Kon-Savle road, Dand-Turade road and Gulsunde-Jambhivali-Karade road.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has also allocated funds for various road projects in Maharashtra under the budget. These include Rs 15 billion for the Orange Gate-Marine Drive underground road tunnel project, Rs 30 billion for the Borivali-Thane tunnel project and Rs 4.48 billion for the Deharji Madhyam project. Meanwhile, the Pune Municipal Corporation has announced the allocation of Rs 9.92 billion for various road projects under the budget. Recently, the state government also sanctioned funds worth Rs 7.92 billion to build five road overbridges (RoBs) in Nagpur.
Notably, the Maharashtra cabinet approved the implementation of the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Jodaraste Scheme on August 18, 2023. The project involves the construction of 6,838 km of roads connecting tribal villages to main roads at an estimated cost of Rs 50 billion. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is also undergoing a significant upgrade. The much-anticipated missing link on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, scheduled to be unveiled by July 2024, will enable the expressway to bypass the winding and hazardous ghat section. Undertaken by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation at a cost of Rs 66.95 billion, the project has set multiple records, including construction of the world’s widest twin tunnels spanning 47 metres across 10 lanes. Moreover, about 96.6 per cent of the construction work has been completed on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project, which is likely to be inaugurated by end 2023.
The state government is working on an ambitious plan to construct a highway network spanning nearly 3,000 km, which is expected to connect about 36 districts in the state. Requiring an estimated investment of Rs 3 trillion, it is expected that the entire highway network will be completed by 2027.
Karnataka
To provide a boost to road development in Karnataka, the state government has allocated Rs 20 billion for the construction of 1,700 km of state highways under the 2023-24 state budget. Funds worth Rs 15 billion have been allocated for the development of 5,000 km of roads to provide connectivity across major district centres and village roads. Moreover, Rs 2.5 billion has been allocated for the construction of 500 foot over bridges.
The upcoming state projects span over 1,300 km. They include the KR Puram-Yeshwantpur Hebbal flyover project, the Bengaluru Peripheral Ring Road project (Phase I), the Jnanabharathi-Varthur Kodi elevated corridor project (Bengaluru East-West Corridor 2) and the Mangala Corniche ring road project.
Gujarat
Significant efforts are being made to strengthen the road infrastructure in Gujarat. The Roads and Buildings Department (RBD) of the state has proposed the development of high speed corridors and flyovers under the 2023-24 state budget. The high speed corridors are: Dakor-Ahmedabad, at a cost of Rs 5 billion; Vatavan- Pipli, connecting Bhavnagar-Amreli, at Rs 4.5 billion; Surat-Sachin-Navsari at Rs 1.15 billion; Ahmedabad-Mehsana-Palanpur at Rs 9.5 billion; Vadodara-Ektanagar Road at Rs 3.52 billion; Tent City, Dhordo, at Rs 1.25 billion; and roads connecting Dwarka, Jambughoda, Dhordo, Dholavira, Statue of Unity, Amabji, Dharoi, Vadnagar, Sasan Gir and Somnath, at Rs 17.31 billion. The RBD has also proposed the development of the Bharuch-Dahej access-controlled expressway at an estimated cost of Rs 8 billion, a flyover at the Pandit Deendayal Energy University junction at Rs 500 million, and a flyover at the Petahpur junction at Rs 400 million.
Furthermore, the state government plans to construct a “Parikrama Path” along its borders and coastlines. It has been divided into three corridors: Eastern Belt Road-Statue of Unity-Saputara Link Road, South Gujarat coastline-Saurashtra and Kutch, and Kutch International Border-North Gujarat periphery. About 50 per cent of the 3,533 km long peripheral road exists in the form of national, state and minor roads. The project is likely to be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 20 billion by 2025.
Madhya Pradesh
The Madhya Pradesh government has given approval for several key road projects in the past few months. This will result in an increase in the pace of road construction in the state. Over 2,400 km of state roads are upcoming in Madhya Pradesh.
The Madhya Pradesh cabinet approved the Obedullaganj-Phanda Kalan four-lane access-controlled bypass project, worth Rs 30 billion, in September 2023. The project involves the construction of the 41 km long western highway bypass, starting before Mandideep (on Obedullaganj-Mandideep road) and ending on Indore road in Phanda Kalan village. The cabinet also approved the West Bhopal four-lane bypass project, worth Rs 29.81 billion, in the same month. It involves the construction of the 40.9 km long four-lane Bhopal western bypass, a six-lane structure with a four-lane road and a two-lane service road on both sides, one road over bridge, two flyovers, 15 underpasses and two major junctions (to be constructed along the alignment). Moreover, the state cabinet recently approved the construction of the Bhopal eight-lane elevated lake corridor project. The total cost of the project is Rs 31.55 billion, and it will be implemented in hybrid annuity mode.
The way ahead
Going forward, the focus will be on building green highways and expanding road networks across states. The use of sustainable construction methods will be encouraged further. Moreover, effective governmental actions, precise evaluation of the available technology and research on emission variables specific to India are required to keep carbon emissions low in road construction and maintenance projects.
