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India's Highway Network Soars 61%, Now World's Second-Largest

India's national highway network has expanded by over 60% in the last 11 years, making it the world's second-largest road network. This rapid growth, driven by the Bharatmala programme, has seen the construction of over 57,000 km of highways in the last five years alone. The development has generated significant employment, averaging about 33 crore person-days annually. With a massive increase in budgetary allocation and ambitious future targets for expressways, this infrastructure push aims to boost logistics efficiency and drive economic growth.

Key Points: India's Highway Expansion: 61% Growth in 11 Years

  • 61% highway expansion since 2014
  • World's second-largest road network
  • Over 500% budget increase in a decade
  • 33 crore person-days of annual employment
2 min read

India's highway network expands by over 60 per cent in last 11 years

India's national highway network grew 61% since 2014, now spanning 1,46,560 km and becoming the world's second-largest road network.

"The National Highway network expanding by 61 per cent from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,560 km in 2025 - Ministry of Road Transport & Highways data"

New Delhi, March 10

India's road network has expanded at a rapid pace in the last 11 years to become the world's second-largest, with national highways spanning across a length of 1,46,560 km in the country, according to official data.

The government has constructed 57,125 km of National Highways during the last five years, with an average construction of 34,215 lane-km per year. This leads to an average annual employment generation of about 33 crore person-days, including direct and indirect employment, as per figures compiled by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) and tabled in the Parliament recently.

This surge, driven by flagship programmes like Bharatmala, has seen the National Highway network expanding by 61 per cent from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,560 km in 2025, according to the data.

The length of operational access-controlled High-Speed Corridors and Expressways increased from a mere 93 km in 2014 to 3,052 km at the end of this year.

The length of 4-lane and above National Highways, including access-controlled corridors, has more than doubled from 18,371 km in 2014 to 43,512 km at present.

Budgetary allocation for India's National Highways has increased by over 500 per cent in the last decade, growing from approximately Rs 31,130 crore in 2013-14 to over Rs 2.7 lakh crore in 2023-24. This has been further enhanced to Rs 3.09 lakh crore in the Budget for 2026-27.

The MoRTH cumulatively monetised Rs 1,52,028 crore through various modes of asset monetisation till November 2025 and has fixed a Rs 30,000 crore target for FY 2025-26.

The government has targeted to operationalise 18,000 km of access-controlled National Expressways by 2028-29. Also, a total of 26,000 km of access controlled Expressways are targeted for award by 2032-33. The government has also taken up the development of ring roads and bypasses of cities with a population of more than five lakh on priority.

In addition, connectivity of ports, as per the prioritisation of the Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways, and connectivity to industrial nodes, as per the priority of the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC), are also taken up for development. The above proposed development will increase the logistics efficiency, which will act as a driver of economic growth.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
While the numbers are good, I hope the quality of construction is maintained. We've all seen new highways develop potholes too quickly. Also, what about last-mile connectivity? A world-class highway is useless if the connecting state roads are in terrible condition. Focus on that too, please.
R
Rohit P
The jump from 93 km to over 3000 km of expressways is mind-blowing! Driving on the new Yamuna Expressway or the Mumbai-Pune is a completely different experience. Saves so much time and fuel. Hope they keep up the pace and complete the Delhi-Mumbai expressway soon. 🚗💨
S
Sarah B
As someone who travels frequently for work between Chennai and Bangalore, the improvement is noticeable. The journey is smoother and faster. The economic multiplier effect of this infrastructure push cannot be overstated. It's laying the foundation for the next decade of growth.
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Vikram M
Good progress, but at what cost to the environment? So many trees must have been cut. Also, the budget has increased 500%—that's a huge amount of taxpayer money. We need transparency on costs and strong environmental mitigation plans for new projects.
K
Karthik V
Connecting ports and industrial nodes is the smartest part of this plan. Efficient logistics = competitive manufacturing. This is how we become a global export hub. The focus on ring roads for cities with >5 lakh population will also reduce traffic chaos in city centers. A much-needed development.

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