India Aims for Record Highway Construction in FY24

New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is aiming to create a national record by constructing 13,813 km of highways in the current financial year, its Secretary Anurag Jain said on Friday.

Addressing reporters here, Jain said the ministry aims to eliminate less than two-lane national highways by 2027-28.

The total length of less than two-lane National Highways (NH) was 25,517 km in March 2012 (which was 30.1 per cent of the total length).

At present, the total length of less than two-lane NHs is 14,350 km (9.8 per cent of the total length)

The ministry constructed 10,237 km National Highways in the 2019-20 financial year, 13,327 km in 2020-21, 10,457 km in 2021-22, 10,331 km in 2022-23.

The ministry has constructed 6,216 km of NH up to December in the ongoing fiscal as compared to 5,774 km constructed in the year-ago period.

Jain further said the road ministry aims to garner Rs 40,000 crore through asset monetisation in the current financial year.

Going forward, there will be more private investment for road projects, he said.

According to Jain, in the next 10-12 years, India's road infrastructure will match developed countries' road infrastructure.

NHAI and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) are primarily responsible for the construction of national highways and expressways in the country.