Less than 8% of India’s national highways are now narrower than two lanes: High-speed corridors grow 12 times as government plans 51,000 km of faster roads

Only around 8% of India's 1.46 lakh km national highway network now consists of stretches narrower than two lanes, down from nearly a quarter of the network in 2018-19. The length of these roads has fallen by 64% over the past nine years to around 13,000 km, according to a TOI report. The shift comes as the government steps up investment in wider highways, high-speed corridors and expressways to improve road connectivity and make the movement of passengers and goods more efficient. The length of high-speed corridors (HSCs) has increased more than 12 times, while the network of national highways with four or more lanes has grown 1.5 times, the report said.

Officials said highway development is increasingly centred on high-speed corridors, greenfield access-controlled roads and expressways. These routes have at least four lanes and are designed to offer smoother journeys with fewer interruptions.

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As more such projects are completed, their share of the national highway network is expected to increase further. The government expects improved road connectivity to help passengers travel faster, speed up freight movement and bring down logistics costs.

Indian trucks still cover less distance than global counterparts

Despite the expansion of wider roads, trucks in India continue to cover considerably less distance each day than their counterparts in several major economies.

A truck in India typically travels around 300-350 km a day, compared with 700-800 km in the US and approximately 550-650 km in China. The gap points to the scope for improving freight movement through better road infrastructure and more efficient routes. Access-controlled highways, which limit entry and exit to designated points, can help trucks maintain more consistent speeds by reducing interruptions from local traffic and other road users.

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Expressway offers higher truck speeds than existing highway

A comparison of two parallel routes between Ahmedabad and Vadodara illustrates the difference. Trucks travelling on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway recorded an average speed of around 80 kmph, against approximately 52 kmph on the parallel NH-64, according to the report. Daily truck traffic on the expressway was also found to be nearly twice that on the existing national highway.

The comparison points to the potential benefits of access-controlled roads for freight operators, including faster journeys and more efficient use of vehicles. Shorter travel times can also help businesses move goods more predictably between manufacturing centres, distribution hubs and markets.

Government targets 51,000 km of high-speed corridors

The government is looking to expand the high-speed corridor network substantially over the next decade. People familiar with the plan told TOI that the target is to develop around 51,000 km of such corridors over the next 10 years.

The proposed network is expected to include corridors built by the Centre as well as those developed or planned by state governments. The expansion would mark a further shift towards wider, access-controlled roads across the country. However, improving freight efficiency will also depend on how effectively these corridors connect with existing highways, industrial hubs and logistics infrastructure.


Inputs from TOI