During 2023-24, highway construction reached 12,349 km, marking a notable 20 per cent increase from 2022-23, although it fell short of the annual target of 13,814 km. The majority of the construction, totalling 9,642 km, involved lane augmentation, while 2,707 km was attributed to strengthening existing infrastructure.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) constructed around 6,644 km, with the remaining being constructed by other agencies including the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). Despite a sluggish start in awarding highway projects, with only 4,872 km awarded till February 2024, the pace picked up in March 2024, resulting in a total of 8,551 km awarded for 2023-24. The ministry has spent around 99.98 per cent of its revised capital expenditure allocation of Rs 2,645.25 billion. The total capital expenditure for 2023-24 exceeded Rs 3.01 trillion, including contributions from the private sector’s road-building efforts.