India’s national highways network has expanded to 1,46,572 kilometres, marking an increase of over 55,000 kilometres since March 2014, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways informed the Rajya Sabha. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said the growth reflects sustained efforts in highway construction and upgradation, guided by traffic demand, connectivity requirements, road conditions, and alignment with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan.
The minister noted that the development and maintenance of national highways is a continuous process, covering corridors that link urban centres, rural areas, and industrial hubs. Projects such as widening and capacity augmentation are undertaken based on traffic density and strategic connectivity needs.
According to the ministry, enhanced budgetary allocations over the years have contributed to significant improvements in highway quality. The length of operational access-controlled national high-speed corridors and expressways has increased sharply from 93 kilometres in 2014 to 3,052 kilometres at present.
The expansion of higher-capacity roads has also been substantial. The total length of four-lane and wider national highways, including access-controlled corridors, has grown 2.6 times from 18,371 kilometres in 2014 to 48,568 kilometres currently. At the same time, the proportion of highways with less than two lanes has declined from 30 percent of the network in 2014 to 9 percent.
These developments have improved connectivity across urban, rural, and industrial regions and have played a key role in enhancing logistics efficiency and mobility across the country.