**Executive Summary**
This document, posted on February 4, 2026, outlines the expansion and upgradation of National Highways (NHs) by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. It details the increase in NH network length, the development of Access Controlled National High Speed Corridors (HSCs) / Expressways, and the positive impact of these developments on the economy. The Government has targets to operationalize 18,000 km of Access Controlled National HSCs / Expressways by 2028-29, and target to award 26,000 km by 2032-33.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **NH Network Expansion:**
* NH network length increased from 91,287 km in March 2014 to 1,46,572 km at present.
* The length of operational Access Controlled HSCs / Expressways increased from 93 km in 2014 to 3,052 km at present.
* 4-lane and above NH network increased 2.6 times from 18,371 km in 2014 to 48,568 km at present.
* Proportion of less than 2-lane NHs decreased from 30% in 2014 to 9% of the total NH network.
* **Economic Impact (Study by IIM Bangalore):**
* Every one-rupee expenditure in NH development leads to a 3.2 increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
* Time for transportation between factories and suppliers decreased by 9.19% in treatment districts.
* Time for transportation between factories and customers decreased by 4.93% in treatment districts.
* Time to access schools decreased by 16.6% in treatment districts.
* Time to access health services reduced by 9% in treatment districts.
* Time to reach Mandis decreased by 7% in treatment districts.
* Average number of Mandis accessed increased by 8% in treatment districts.
* **Employment Generation (Study by IIT Kanpur):**
* Construction of 1 lane-km of NH leads to 4,478 person-days of direct employment and 5,297 person-days of indirect employment.
* Highway construction leads to 52,393 person-days per lane-km of induced employment over 7 years.
* Average annual employment generation is about 33 Crore person-days.
* **Government Targets:**
* Operationalize 18,000 km of Access Controlled National HSCs / Expressways by 2028-29.
* Award total 26,000 km of Access Controlled National HSCs / Expressways by 2032-33.
* Development of ring road / bypasses of cities with population of more than Five Lakh on priority.
* Prioritising connectivity of ports and Industrial nodes.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Road Transport and Highways**
* **Impact:** Responsible for the continued development and maintenance of NHs, focusing on long-distance connectivity and improved road quality.
* **Action Required:** Continue to execute NH expansion and upgradation projects, adhering to the established targets for operationalization and awarding of HSCs/Expressways.
**State Governments**
* **Impact:** Responsible for last-mile connectivity to agricultural centers, schools, health care centers, tourism centers, etc.
* **Action Required:** Coordinate with the central government to ensure seamless integration of NHs with local infrastructure and address last-mile connectivity needs.
**Citizens and Businesses**
* **Impact:** Benefit from improved connectivity, reduced transportation times, and increased economic activity.
* **Action Required:** Leverage the improved infrastructure for enhanced business opportunities and personal travel.
Key Entities Referenced
National Highways (NHs): The primary focus of the policy, encompassing their development, maintenance, and expansion.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways: The government ministry responsible for the development and maintenance of National Highways.
PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP): A national-level plan that provides synergy to the development and maintenance of NHs.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
EXPANSION AND UPGRADATION OF NATIONAL
HIGHWAYS
Posted On: 04 FEB 2026 7:07PM by PIB Delhi
Infrastructure sector is the prime mover of the economy and contributes to the faster economic growth and
development. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is primarily responsible for development and
maintenance of National Highways (NHs), including National High Speed Corridors (HSCs) /
Expressways. NH network length in the country has increased from 91,287 km in March, 2014 to 1,46,572
km at present.
Development and maintenance of NHs, including NHs providing connectivity to urban, rural and
industrial regions, is a continuous process. Works on NHs, including capacity augmentation, are
accordingly taken up based on the traffic density, connectivity requirement, condition of the road and
synergy with PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP).
NHs are primarily meant for long distance connectivity. With increased budgetary allocation over the
years, quality of roads has improved substantially. The length of operational Access Controlled National
High Speed Corridors (HSCs) / Expressways has increased from 93 km in 2014 to 3,052 km at present.
Length of 4 lane and above NH network (including Access controlled HSCs / Expressways) has increased
by 2.6 times from 18,371 km in 2014 to 48,568 km at present. Also, proportion of less than 2-lane NHs
has decreased from 30% in 2014 to 9% of the total NH network. The above developments have increased
the connectivity and accessibility of urban, rural and industrial regions to the NH network across the
country and also increased the logistics efficiency.
]
Based on the study by Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore on impact of development of National
Highways projects (2014-2022) in the country, broad findings are as under: -
i. Every one-rupee expenditure in National Highway development leads to a ₹ 3.2 increase in
Gross Domestic Product (GDP);
ii. The time taken for transportation between factories and suppliers has decreased by 9.19% in
treatment districts vis-à-vis control districts;
iii. The time taken for transportation between factories and customers has decreased by 4.93% in
treatment districts as compared to control districts;
iv. The time to access schools has decreased by 16.6% in treatment districts vis-à-vis control
districts;
v. There has been a 9% reduction in time to access health services in treatment districts as
compared to control districts;
vi. The average time to reach Mandis decreased by 7% in treatment districts as compared to
control districts; and
vii. The average number of Mandis accessed increased by 8% in treatment districts as compared
to control districts.Although Government is continuously engaged in the development of NHs to boost the economy, the
responsibility for the last mile connectivity to agricultural centers, schools, health care centers, tourism
centers etc. lies with respective State Governments only.
As per a seminal study conducted by Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur on the estimation of
employment generated during construction of National Highways, construction of 1 lane-km of National
Highway leads to direct employment generation of 4,478 person-days and indirect employment generation
of 5,297 person-days. Further, the long-term impact of highway
construction leads to an induced employment generation of 52,393 person-days per lane-km over a period
of 7 years driven by the increased economic activity in the region.
Government has constructed 57,125 km of NHs during last five years with average construction of
34,215 lane-km of NHs per year. This leads to average annual employment generation of about 33 Crore
person-days including direct and indirect employment.
Government has targeted to operationalize 18,000 km of Access Controlled National HSCs
/ Expressways by 2028-29. Also, total 26,000 km of Access Controlled National HSCs / Expressways are
targeted for award by 2032-33. Government has taken up the development of ring road / bypasses of
cities with population of more than Five Lakh on priority. In addition, connectivity of ports as per the
prioritization of Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways and connectivity to Industrial nodes as per
the priority of 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
driver to economic growth.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Jairam
Gadkari Ji in written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
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GDH/HJ
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