Indian Highways Infrastructure Will Match US Highways Standard By 2024 Nitin Gadkari

Updated: Mar 27, 2023, 17:30 IST

"I am confident that India's highways will be on par with the US by 2024. Work in a time bound mission mode is on to build a robust infrastructure including a network of green expressways across the length and breadth of India," – Nitin Gadkari in a recent interview with the press trust of India

On 26th March 2023, Sunday, Union road and transport and highway minister Mr. Nitin Gadkari said that the infrastructure of Indian highways will match that of United States' standards by 2024. He also claimed that the work required to complete the task on time is already on.

Apart from highways, Nitin Gadkari also mentioned that this vision includes the construction of green expressways and rail over bridges is also underway for a robust infrastructure of India.

He also addressed the highway construction on Kailash Mansarovar. In his address, he told the PTI that “Ninety-three percent of work on the Kailash Mansarovar project has been completed.” This highway construction for Mansarovar Yatra will reduce the long pilgrimage to Mansarovar to just a few days, making it easier for people to reach their destination in lesser time.

Here are some more details on the construction of various highways in India and their budget coming straight from the interview of Nitin Gadkari:

• He also addressed the construction of a 4-lane inter corridor work that is under process for the Ranchi-Varanasi Inter Corridor. Gadkari said the highway, which will cost rupees Rs 6,200 crores, will significantly reduce the travel time between the two cities.


• Next, he told the PTI they are about to get a nod for the Bharatmala Phase 2. This will further accelerate the making of highways in India. That’s because around 5,000 km of the highway network is envisaged under phase 2 construction. To know more about Bharatmala Pariyojana, click here: https://www.india.gov.in/spotlight/bharatmala-pariyojana-stepping-stone-towards-new-india.


• For better road connectivity in states like Odisha, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, a separate construction project is also going on worth rupees 50,000 crores.


• Work of 7 greenfield expressways is under construction in Jharkhand for the economic and inter corridor. Gadkari also told the PTI that this project is getting done at the cost of 70,000 crore rupees.


• He further said that a 635 km long Raipur-Dhanbad economic corridor is also being constructed. This project costs Rs 15,000 crore, and its primary purpose is to ensure faster movement of coal, steel, cement, and minerals across the two cities.

He also talked about multiple highway projects under construction throughout the country. In this address, he shared the details of these highway construction projects. The details include their construction cost, length of highway road construction, connectivity between cities, and benefits citizens will cherish once the construction work ends.

Lastly, he also mentioned the bigger plans of the Road Transport and Highways Ministry. He told the PTI that this year, the railway over bridges is being constructed at Rs16,000 crore. But in the next five years, this budget will be increased to Rs 50,000 crores for better connectivity and world-class highways in India.