NHAI surpasses target; constructs 5313 km in 2025-26

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) surpassed its target for 2025-26 registering 15% higher construction in the just concluded financial year at 5,313 km compared to the target of 4,640 km. However, the construction is slightly lower than the 5,614 km achieved in 2024-25.

As per the statement issued by the ministry of road transport and highways on Wednesday, the capital expenditure by NHAI in 2025-26 for the development of National Highway infrastructure was at Rs 2,44,362 crore, which is 2.5% higher than the budgetary support of Rs 2,38,384 crore for the year.

The differential amount of Rs 5,978 crore has been met through NHAI’s own resources, it said.


NHAI had spent Rs 2,50,000 crore in 2025-26, around 21% higher compared to Rs 2,07,000 crore in 2023-24 and 45% more compared to Rs 1,73,000 crore in 2022-23.

The higher than expected performance by NHAI, under the ministry of road transport and highways, will help to push up the overall construction by the ministry in 2025-26.

NHAI contributes roughly 45% to the total construction by the ministry.

The road ministry, in its annual report for 2025-26 released this week, said it has awarded 2,257 km of national highways till December 2025 as against the total award of 7,538 km in 2024-25 and much lower than the average pace of award of 10,973 km during the last 10 years from 2015-25.

Further, it has constructed 4,989 km up to December 2025 as against 10,660 km constructed in 2024-25 or 29 km per day but utilised 83.39% or Rs 2.27 lakh crore of the total budgetary capital outlay of Rs 2.72 lakh crore for 2025-26 till December 31, 2025.