Indias national highway (NH) Network has increased by 59% in the past nine years to touch 1. 49 lakh km and nearly one-third of the NHs are four lane or more compared to 20% in 2014, Unionroad transportand highways minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday. The government also has set the target not to have a single NH that is less than two lanes by 2030.
The government said the high pace of road construction, including the NHs, in the past nine years has put India in position to have the second largest road network after the United States. The current road network of India isaround 64 lakh km, which includes NHs, state highways, municipal and rural roads, both paved and unpaved.
As per the governments Basic Road Statistics report of 2018-19, India has a road network of 63. 32 lakh km on March 31, 2019, which was the second largest in the world after the US (66. 46 lakh km). Sources said the government is working on the plan to expand the NH network to 1. 85 lakh km by 2030 and 2. 37 lakh km by 2047 and the target is to see that nearly two-third of the NH network is four lane and above for faster movement of peopleand cargo.