A total of 1,242 National Highway projects spanning 27,656 Km are currently under construction across the country, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday (29 January).
Out of these, 405 National Highway projects covering 8,403 Km are targeted for completion by March this year, marking a significant phase in the ongoing expansion and modernisation of India’s highway network.
“As on date, 1242 National Highway (NH) projects covering a length of 27,656 km are under construction in the country,” Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
“Out of this, 405 NH projects covering a length of 8,403 km are targeted for completion by March, 2026,” the minister added.
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The minister stated that the ongoing projects include construction of expressways and greenfield access-controlled high-speed NH corridors, along with the upgradation of existing National Highways to two-lane, four-lane and six-lane standards, supported by associated infrastructure such as bypasses, flyovers, underpasses, bridges and tunnels.
Gadkari said that to improve construction quality and execution standards, the government has rolled out multiple quality assurance measures for National Highway works.
These include a policy for automated and machine-aided construction, mandatory road condition assessments using Network Survey Vehicles, and enhanced monitoring through drone-based surveys integrated with artificial intelligence and machine learning tools.
The government has also introduced Mobile Quality Control Vans equipped with non-destructive testing equipment on a pilot basis to conduct diagnostic assessments of highway works during execution, with a decision taken to expand the initiative based on outcomes.
On project monitoring and timelines, the minister said that construction progress is being closely tracked through coordination with project implementing agencies, state governments and contractors, with unresolved bottlenecks escalated through structured review mechanisms, including the Project Monitoring Group and PRAGATI platform.
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