[SJM1214]

Construction of national highways in India hit a record 10,000 km in the year ended March 31 after the government stepped up the pace of implementation and awarding contracts.

On average, 27.5 km of highways were constructed every day in FY18, while contracts were awarded for an average 46 km per day, a top road transport and highways ministry official said. The construction of 10,000 km of national highways last year compares with 8,231 km in FY17 and 4,260 km (11 km per day) in FY14, the last year of the UPA government. Contracts were awarded for 17,000 km in FY18 compared with 15,848 km a year earlier and 3,169 km (8 km per day) in FY14. The government on Tuesday will officially announce the numbers achieved in FY18 and the targets for FY19.

In FY19, the expenditure on national highways is likely to exceed Rs 2 lakh crore, of which about Rs 1 lakh crore will come from extra-budgetary resources (including NHAI borrowings and monetisation of existing national highways) and more than Rs 70,000 crore through budgetary grants and tolls.

NHAI is the single largest agency for implementation of national highways – it constructed more than 4,000 km in FY18 and awarded 150 projects of 7,400 km worth Rs 1.22 lakh crore, the highest ever.

News and Image Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com...campaign=cppst

[SJM1214]

Govt shifts to new formula: To show highway construction in better light.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Tuesday announced that the daily road construction target for the current financial year will be calculated as per lane length kilometre formula practised worldwide.

"World over the road construction is calculated as per this formula," Union road Minister Nitin Gadkari said.


For instance if a 14-lane highway is being constructed, the total linear length of the 14 lanes is considered at the time of calculating the length of road built. At present, in India whether it is a 4-lane, 6-lane or an 8-lane highway, it is considered as one lane.

News Source : http://www.business-standard.com/art...0300408_1.html

[GTO]

I'm amazed at the way India's highway infrastructure is improving. Just returned from a Mumbai-Mahabaleshwar drive. In the 250 km door-to-door, we didn't encounter a single pothole. Nearly all of the highway sections are 2 - 3 lanes on each side with a divider in between. Compare this to the 90s where we would take the route via Mahad which was bumpy, pothole-ridden and so narrow at points that if a bus came from the opposite side, you had to take your car off the road!

Equally, I must say that while highway roads have improved, there has really been no progress in city roads. They remain as bumpy & disorganised as ever.

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by SJM1214

Govt shifts to new formula: To show highway construction in better light.


News Source : http://www.business-standard.com/art...0300408_1.html

Well if this formula is being used and the 2014 figures are recalculated using this formula, the 2014 and earlier figures will significantly change. Assuming most roads are at least 2 lanes the 2014 figures will be double of what is quoted.

Originally Posted by GTO

there has really been no progress in city roads. They remain as bumpy & disorganised as ever.

This is definitely the case in Goa. It's is extremely difficult to find a straight and smooth road.

One thing that really irritates me is that even when making a new road, they will make un-necessary curves and bends as well as ups and downs. I don't understand what is so difficult is making a straight and flat road.
The second thing I don't get is what they make the roads as narrow as possible and then widen it by 25 cms every 2 years. Why not make a road that's wide enough to handle traffic for the next 20 years.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by GTO

I'm amazed at the way India's highway infrastructure is improving. Just returned from a Mumbai-Mahabaleshwar drive. In the 250 km door-to-door, we didn't encounter a single pothole. Nearly all of the highway sections are 2 - 3 lanes on each side with a divider in between.

.... there has really been no progress in city roads. They remain as bumpy & disorganised as ever.

Unfortunately, UP highways despite Yogi's efforts have not improved much. Years of neglect and 'chalta hai' mindset makes improvements more tricky. So greenfield projects are doing better. Also, the ALE continues go be in a mess, and the YEW accident rates are going up. Only I hear some more prosecutions for speeding.

In city roads there is a big contribution to be made by the read users, but we have been ignoring it. We just do no want to follow any discipline.

[SJM1214]

Originally Posted by SJM1214

Govt shifts to new formula: To show highway construction in better light.

India's The Fastest Highway Developer, Adding 27 Km Per Day, Says Finance Minister.

India has been seeing substantial growth in infrastructure, be it highways, railways or airways. Addressing this point at the Interim Budget 2019, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal today said that the 'India is currently the fastest highway developer in the world with 27 km of highways built each day,' while talking about the country's infrastructure development. "Infrastructure is the backbone of any nation's development and quality of life. Whether it is highways or railways or airways or even digi-ways, we have gone beyond incremental growth to attain transformative achievements," said Goyal.

Auto.NDTV Article.

[longhorn]

When 1 km became 4 km or 6 km overnight (these guys have mastered the art of faking it), 10,000 kilometres is quit a poor show considering the fact that the current dispensation has been harping about building national highways from day one. In fact 4,260 km *2 = 8520 km at the minimum of the previous dispensation is in fact very commendable as they were not actually trying to build highways in a blazing hurry, but still have managed to get that much done in a year without any hullabaloo.

Using the same yard stick 4,260 kms becomes 17,040 kms if the entire stretch was a four lane (worst case scenario) and a whopping 25,560 kms in case of 6 lane highway.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by longhorn

When 1 km became 4 km or 6 km overnight (these guys have mastered the art of faking it),

Using the same yard stick 4,260 kms becomes 17,040 kms if the entire stretch was a four lane (worst case scenario) and a whopping 25,560 kms in case of 6 lane highway

The Govt very correctly is now using lane-kilometres as the measure instead of just kms regardless of whether that is 1 lane or 6-lane. Lane-kms is the accepted global way of measuring highways. Not sure where the faking is coming in when it was announced clearly that going forward lane-kms will be used.

10,000 kilometres is quit a poor show considering the fact that the current dispensation has been harping about building national highways from day one.

In fact 4,260 km *2 = 8520 km at the minimum of the previous dispensation is in fact very commendable as they were not actually trying to build highways in a blazing hurry, but still have managed to get that much done in a year without any hullabaloo.

Please could you share your sources of data. Are you talking of kms added in 1-year or in 5-years?

National Highway length (simple length w/o adjustment for lanes) was 101k kms in March'16; 70.9k kms in Mar'11; 57.7k kms in Mar'01; and 33.7k kms only in Mar'91. The current govt may have done a lot of daft things but highway construction is one of the things they got right.

[jraj]

This link here is from NHAI Annual report for 2013-2014.Page 9 says the total length of NH in India was 93,051km.
If the NH length was 70.9k kms in March 2011 that equates to a 22,000 km in 3 years.

This link here is from NHAI annual report for 2016-2017(Thats the latest annual report available). Page 15 from this report says ,the total length of NH in India was 1,15,435kms. That is about 22000km in 3 years.

Needless to say the previous regime was at par with the incumbent Govt that "got the highway construction right".
The info is out there for ones who seek.

[ruzbehxyz]

The highway construction has touch 30 kms. per day. This is certainly an achievement.

Link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ive_share_tray

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

The highway construction has touch 30 kms. per day. This is certainly an achievement.

Link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ive_share_tray

The figures in the inset are in lane-kms? Or kms?

That is, is the data for all the 10 years calculated similarly?

If not, its unfair to compare across them.

[navpreet318]

Originally Posted by vharihar

The figures in the inset are in lane-kms? Or kms?

That is, is the data for all the 10 years calculated similarly?

If not, its unfair to compare across them.

The government has clearly indicated in their order that they will start measuring the Highway Construction in "Lane-Kms" from this fiscal year ie 2019-2020.

This was issued and clarified on 1st April itself.
The data shown currently is the true and proper comparison of the construction in the past decade.

[vharihar]

Ok thx. So until and including FY 2018-19, it is "kms". Thereafter it will be "lane-kms". Do you have an authoritative source website that categorically states this?

So I guess that inset figure is a fair apples-apples comparison then.

[vharihar]

Per https://www.hindustantimes.com/india...Pv5OIG0YI.html , the new standard is from Apr 2018 onwards.

Not sure if the 2018-19 figures in the inset are after back-calculating from lane-kms to kms. If not, then it's actually a regression!

Our poor quality of journalism in India esp as regards infrastructure, coupled with such changes, really causes confusion and heart burn.

Very similar to the unladen vs laden "ground clearance" change adopted by ARAI a few years ago

[pratyush6]

As a lot of members have stated, I am equally confused on how to read those numbers. If the numbers are a like to like comparison, it is certainly good!

The more important point though for me is the design of these highways as it seems as if no one is interested in the qualitative aspect of this. We have some of the most poorly designed junctions on highways.