Highways to have sheet barriers to curb accidents: Nitin Gadkari

NEW DELHI: In a major move aimed at curbing high number of road accidents, the road ministry has decided to fix galvanised sheet barriers on both flanks of the highways to stop them from being trespassed, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said.

"We have taken a decision yesterday. To prevent accidents, national highways across the country would be made acess-controlled by using galvanised sheets to insulate roads from trespassing," Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said at the launch of a coffee table book ' The Golden Quadrilateral'.

The decision in this regard was taken at a high-level meeting yesterday.

Besides, he said, "fluorescent markings would be done to make driving safe during night. Also, proper traffic signals will be installed".

The project work is slated to start soon and some challenges are expected at some places having dense habitations across the highways, a highway official said.

"We would need to build bridges and underpasses for the local people so that they can access the road," he said.

India at present accounts for one of the highest number of road accidents in the globe at about 5 lakh per annum in which 1.5 lakh people die and another 3 lakh are crippled.