India’s National Highway Network

India’s national highways carry the bulk of the country’s freight and passenger traffic. In a decade, this network grew by 60 percent to become the world’s second largest.

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IndGeo0074 · Indian Geography

India’s National Highway Network

The world’s second-largest highway network, and how it got there

Total Length

~1.46 lakh kmAs of 2024

Golden Quadrilateral

5,846 kmDelhi-Mumbai-Chennai-Kolkata

Bharatmala Target

34,800 kmNew highways planned

The Growth Story

• Grew from about 91,000 km in 2014 to 1.46 lakh km by 2024.
• That is roughly 60% growth in a single decade.
• India now has the world’s second-largest highway network.
• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) builds and manages it.

Landmark Projects

• The Golden Quadrilateral links Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata.
• Built under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), from 2001.
• Bharatmala Pariyojana (2017) targets 34,800 km of new highways.
• Vision 2047 targets up to 50,000 km of access-controlled expressways.

Roads Carry the Load

National highways make up only a small share of India’s total road length. Yet they carry the majority of the country’s road-based freight and passenger traffic.

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Highway Network Growth and the Golden Quadrilateral Need to Know

• India’s national highway network reached about 1.46 lakh km by 2024, up from 91,000 km in 2014.
• That marks roughly 60% growth in a single decade.
• India now has the world’s second-largest national highway network.
• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) builds and maintains this network.
• The Golden Quadrilateral, 5,846 km long, links Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata.

Bharatmala Pariyojana and Network Expansion Good to Know

• The Golden Quadrilateral was built under the National Highways Development Project, starting 2001.
• Bharatmala Pariyojana, approved in 2017, targets 34,800 km of new highways and expressways.
• Bharatmala carries an outlay of roughly ₹10.63 lakh crore.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. Which body builds and manages India’s national highways?

The Ministry of Railways

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)

The Indian Roads Congress

The Central Public Works Department

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Traffic Share and the Vision 2047 Target Great to Know

• National highways carry the majority of India’s road-based freight and passenger traffic.
• They make up only a small fraction of India’s total road network by length.
• India’s Vision 2047 plan targets up to 50,000 km of access-controlled expressways.

Current Affairs

• On 6 August 2026, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved a new 4-lane Guwahati-Tezpur corridor, on NH-15 in Assam. It spans 135.871 km, at a cost of ₹8,970.20 crore. (Source: ANI)
• The project includes 5 major bypasses, spanning 58.7 km. These will ease congestion through towns like Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, and Tezpur. (Source: ANI)
• A 4.9 km Emergency Landing Facility, planned with the Air Force, will run through the Tezpur Bypass. It will also decongest the existing NH-27 corridor, south of the Brahmaputra. (Source: ANI)
• The corridor will include 15 major bridges, 30 minor bridges, 19 flyovers, and one elephant underpass, at Tezpur. Officials expect it to double average travel speeds. (Source: ANI)
• 29-30 July 2026: NHAI began preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to decongest the Sarai Kale Khan loop, on the DND-Sohna corridor (NH-148NA) in Delhi.
  • The loop is where traffic from the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, and the upcoming DND-Sohna corridor converges. It also serves the Sarai Kale Khan ISBT, Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, and an RRTS station.
  • The DPR will study capacity augmentation, signal optimisation, and grade separation, to prevent the new DND-Sohna corridor’s traffic from choking the junction once it opens.
  • On 22 June 2026, NHAI directed Wayside Amenities lessees along National Highways to prioritise vehicle repair and puncture repair facilities. (Source: PIB)
  • The move aims to cut vehicle downtime and improve road safety during breakdowns. Wayside Amenities are developed under a long-term Public-Private Partnership lease model. (Source: PIB)

  (Source: PTI, via Business Today).

• 29 July 2026: PIB detailed PARIVARTAN, a Cabinet-approved scheme (3 June 2026) to replace ageing Delhi-NCR trucks and buses with cleaner vehicles.
  • PARIVARTAN carries a ₹9,585 crore outlay, including ₹5,041 crore in Central support, and covers Delhi plus NCR districts in Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. MoRTH implements it, with funds routed via the NCR Planning Board.
  • It targets over 1.9 lakh trucks and 16,000+ buses on BS-IV or older norms, offering tax/registration waivers, interest subvention, OEM discounts, and fuel vouchers or one-time incentives for BS-VI or electric replacements.

  (Source: PIB).

• 29 July 2026: In a Rajya Sabha reply, the government detailed highway connectivity to aspirational districts and border areas.
  • All aspirational districts are now connected to the NH network. Over the last five years, 3,318 km of border-area NH projects were awarded, of which 1,301 km is built.
  • 1,191 NH projects, spanning about 25,917 km and costing ₹7.15 lakh crore, are currently under construction nationwide, including 3,100 km in border areas.

  (Source: PIB).

• 29 July 2026: A separate Rajya Sabha reply detailed Green Highway plantation work, under the Green Highways Policy 2015.
  • Over the last five years, about 1.32 lakh km of National Highways were covered with plantation, using more than 3.61 crore saplings.
  • Sustainable materials used in NH construction now include bamboo crash barriers, fly ash, reclaimed asphalt, plastic waste in bituminous mixes, and treated sewage water.

  (Source: PIB).

• 29 July 2026: NHAI’s Rajkot PIU launched a large-scale anti-encroachment drive, under Supreme Court directions in Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No. 9 of 2025.
  • It surveyed nearly 693 km of National Highways, issuing 1,403 notices against unauthorised structures, illegal commercial accesses, and unapproved median cuts.
  • The drive removed over 361 illegal accesses and encroachments, and permanently closed 150 unauthorised median gaps, including mega-drives along the Somnath-Dwarka Highway.

  (Source: PIB).

• 27 July 2026: NHAI successfully defended a ₹3,177 crore arbitration claim over the terminated Bareilly-Sitapur BOT (Toll) project in Uttar Pradesh.
  • The concessionaire, Bareilly Highways Project Limited, had raised 30 claims after NHAI terminated the 151 km project in May 2019. The Arbitral Tribunal allowed only 3 claims, awarding ₹46 crore plus interest, well below the amount sought.

  (Source: IANS, via The Shillong Times).

• On 25 July 2026, MoRTH detailed the Kanpur-Kabrai Highway, part of the Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor. The 117.7 km greenfield highway, approved earlier that month by the CCEA, will cost ₹7,145 crore. (Source: PIB)
• It’s a 4/6-lane, access-controlled corridor. It links Bundelkhand’s mineral-rich Kabrai belt with Kanpur and Bhopal. (Source: PIB)
• Travel time between Kanpur and Kabrai should fall, from about 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours. (Source: PIB)
• The corridor also aims to help farmers. Faster transport should cut post-harvest losses, and improve their market access. (Source: PIB)
• Also on 25 July 2026, MoRTH detailed the 6-lane Dwarka Road Tunnel, on NH-148AE. The CCEA approved it earlier that month, at a cost of ₹6,969.67 crore. (Source: PIB)
• The 8.1km corridor will link the Dwarka Expressway to Vasant Kunj. Its centrepiece is a 3.14km twin-tube tunnel, including a 1.98km stretch under Delhi’s Southern Ridge. (Source: PIB)
• It aims to cut congestion between the airport, Gurugram, and South Delhi. A planned AIIMS-Mahipalpur Elevated Corridor will later extend this east-west link, toward Noida and Ghaziabad. (Source: PIB)
• On 22 July 2026, the government detailed India’s National High-Speed Corridors and Greenfield Expressways. A total of 10,389 km has been awarded nationwide, of which 4,809 km is complete and 5,580 km is under construction. (Source: PIB)
• Rajasthan leads in completed length, at 1,192 km. NHAI uses the Bhoomi Rashi portal and a revamped Parivesh portal, to speed up land acquisition and environmental clearances. (Source: PIB)
• On FASTag, the government detailed the Annual Pass scheme, launched 15 August 2025. It costs ₹3,075 for 2026-27, covering one year or 200 toll-plaza crossings, whichever comes first. (Source: PIB)
• By June 2026, over 77 lakh Annual Passes had been issued, logging 63 crore transactions. Annual Passes now make up about 33% of all car, jeep, and van toll transactions. (Source: PIB)
• FASTag now covers more than 98% of all toll collection nationally. The government is also moving toward Multi-Lane Free Flow tolling nationwide, using ANPR cameras, AI analytics, and RFID-based FASTag integration. (Source: PIB)
• Separately, NHAI revised its highway-consultancy hiring rules. It now mandates minimum monthly pay for engineering consultants, from ₹5 lakh for Team Leaders and Bridge Engineers, down to ₹1 lakh for Young Professionals. (Source: PIB)
• At least 20% of consultancy sub-professional staff must now be previously-engaged Site Engineers or Young Professionals, from NHAI, MoRTH, or NHIDCL. This gives experienced engineers a longer career path in highway projects. (Source: PIB)
• 20 July 2026: NHAI added a digital “Local Pass” feature to its RajmargYatra app. It lets residents near a toll plaza buy a monthly toll pass online, without visiting the plaza. (Source: PIB)
• The Local Pass first launched at the Mundka-Bakkarwala Toll Plaza, on Delhi’s Urban Extension Road-II. It uses DigiLocker and VAHAN integration, plus GIS-based verification, to confirm eligibility within minutes. (Source: PIB)
• NHAI also launched “MargMitra,” an intelligent help centre inside the RajmargYatra app. It handles queries, feedback, and grievances by text or voice, in 22 Indian languages. (Source: PIB)
• 20 July 2026: The Cabinet’s earlier approval for four-laning NH-63 (Armoor-Jagtial-Mancherial) and NH-563 (Jagtial-Karimnagar) in Telangana covers 190.76 km, at a cost of ₹7,597.16 crore. (Source: PIB)
• The NH-63 stretch will be built under the Hybrid Annuity Model; the NH-563 stretch, on a Build-Operate-Transfer (Toll) basis. Together, they will improve access to the Vemulawada and Kaleshwaram temples, and to Nizamabad and Karimnagar’s industrial hubs. (Source: PIB)
• 19 July 2026: The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways announced the new Rameshwar-Paradeep Coastal Highway in Odisha, a 160.18 km corridor costing ₹8,300.79 crore. (Source: PIB)
• The highway runs through Khurda, Puri, Kendrapada, and Jagatsinghpur districts. It links the Jagannath Temple, Konark Sun Temple, and Ramchandi Temple, and should cut travel time between Rameshwar and Paradeep by about 2 hours 30 minutes. (Source: PIB)
• 19 July 2026: The CCEA approved a four-laning of the Khagaria-Purnea section of NH-31 and NH-231 in Bihar, at a cost of ₹3,936.05 crore. (Source: PIB)
• The corridor connects Bihar’s banana belt (Khagaria) and makhana belt (Purnea), one of India’s largest makhana hubs. It includes flood-resilience engineering, and should cut travel time from about 3.5-4 hours to 1.5-2 hours. (Source: PIB)
• On 16 July 2026, NHAI moved toward professional, technology-driven upkeep of its highway assets. It engaged General Management Consultants (GMCs) to manage Operations and Maintenance for its InvIT-held roads. (Source: PIB)
• The National Highways Infra Trust (NHIT), NHAI’s InvIT, manages 2,653 km of highway assets. In the first phase, GMCs will oversee 908 km of that network. (Source: PIB)
• GMCs will run regular inspections, flag maintenance and safety needs, and manage contractors for repairs. This is meant to build investor confidence in India’s highway InvIT model. (Source: PIB)
• On 15 July 2026, the Cabinet approved two elevated corridors to decongest Varanasi, together costing about ₹25,446 crore. (Source: PIB, CCEA)
• The first, a 46 km corridor linking NH-19 and the Varanasi Ring Road along the Ganga, costs ₹14,447.64 crore. It includes a 910-metre cable-stayed bridge, and should cut travel time from NH-19 to Kashi Railway Station by nearly half. (Source: PIB)
• The second, a 43 km corridor linking NH-31 and the Varanasi Ring Road along the Varuna river, costs ₹10,998.32 crore. (Source: PIB)
• Both corridors use the Hybrid Annuity Model, run by the National Highways Authority of India. Together, they are part of the wider Varanasi Decongestion Plan. (Source: PIB)
• On 1 July 2026, NHAI launched Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling at Manoharpura Toll Plaza, on the Delhi-Jaipur section of NH-48 in Rajasthan. MLFF uses ANPR cameras and FASTag integration, letting vehicles slow down instead of stopping to pay tolls (Source: ANI, 1 July 2026).
• Manoharpura followed Rajasthan’s first MLFF rollout, at Daulatpura Toll Plaza on the same NH-48 corridor on 19 June 2026. Shahjahanpur toll plaza is next in line for the switch.
• If a vehicle’s FASTag balance is insufficient or invalid, the system issues an Electronic Notice (E-Notice), giving 72 hours to pay the normal fee before it doubles. E-Notices are payable via nhfeenotice.parivahan.gov.in or the Rajmargyatra App.
• MLFF is part of a broader national shift toward zero-wait, barrier-free tolling, aimed at cutting fuel use and emissions while reducing toll-plaza infrastructure costs.
• On 1 August 2026, NHAI switched on MLFF at Shahjahanpur Toll Plaza, the third on this NH-48 stretch. Manesar to Jaipur is now fully barrier-free. (Source: PIB)
• 30 June 2026: NHAI moved to empanel IITs and other reputed technical institutions for independent proof-checking of major bridge designs on all new National Highway projects.
  • The review covers structural design calculations, engineering drawings, construction methods, geotechnical investigations, and hydraulic studies, for bridges designed to last 100+ years.
  • About 12 IITs — including IIT Delhi, Bombay, Roorkee, and Kharagpur — have expressed willingness to collaborate. The framework applies uniformly across all project-delivery modes.

  (Source: PIB).

• 29 June 2026: Nitin Gadkari reviewed the quality and maintenance of National Highways in Jharkhand (3,245 km) and Uttarakhand (4,026 km), after complaints on media and social media.
  • He directed officials to speed up on-ground execution, tighten quality monitoring, and improve riding quality across key corridors.
  • He also ordered monsoon preparedness measures — drainage management, slope protection, preventive maintenance, and quick-response mechanisms — to minimise disruption and protect commuter safety.

  (Source: PIB).

• On 24 June 2026, NHAI said it has identified 595 critical unauthorized-parking locations on National Highways nationwide. It has logged their exact longitude and latitude. (Source: PIB)
• The drive follows Supreme Court directions. NHAI is coordinating with State Governments, district administrations, and enforcement agencies, to clear these locations. (Source: PIB)
• NHAI is also removing highway encroachments, under the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002. It is setting up District Highway Safety Task Forces, with nodal officers, in coordination with states. (Source: PIB)
• NHAI ordered urgent audits of Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) equipment. This covers traffic cameras, video incident detection, variable speed signs, message boards, and emergency call boxes. (Source: PIB)
• It is also prioritizing ambulance and recovery-vehicle deployment, wider highway patrolling, and linking ATMS alerts directly to enforcement agencies. (Source: PIB)
• On 23 June 2026, NHAI signed an MoU with NCAER, to set up a Centre for Economics of Transportation, Mobility and Logistics. It is India’s first permanent research centre dedicated to this field. (Source: PIB)
• The Centre will study National Highway economics, freight logistics, toll policy, and road safety, among other themes. NHAI will support it for ten years. (Source: PIB)