[AseemYadav]

I recently drove on the grand trunk road stretch from ranchi to Lucknow. Most of the road is 4 lane with road widening work going on at some places. From the few labourers at work, the little machinery at their disposal and the general buzz of the places, I could clearly make out that the work going on was far from on the war footing. Half made flyovers and bridges with rusted iron rods jutting out and plants growing from them, did not make a great sight for a petrol head. Maintaining even 50 kmph average speed even in a capable highway milemuncher, like the XUV was a herculean task. In order to gauge the speed of road works going on all over India, ministry and contractor websites is the last place I would go to look for photos. Nothing could be more stage managed than that. Take your car out and drive the length and breadth of India and you will find the quality and pace of work going on is just plain shoddy. The NHAI is in bad economic health, saddled with loans. No amount of changing formulas on daily road construction is going to change the scenario on the ground. Half the time political compulsions decide where a road will be built. The erstwhile golden quadrilateral has to be made 8 laned throughout before we start making parallel roads like the new delhi mumbai expressway or the one to ballia. We are simply off pace and need to pull up our socks bigtime.

[landcruiser123]

All expressways projects are ambitious and can bring a lot of growth if executed well. The challenges:
1. Minimum speed Law: There must be enforcement of a minimum speed law (ideally 60km/h) to prevent slow vehicles for entering the expressway. Autos, low capacity motorcycles, bicycles, animal drawn carriages etc should not be allowed. GoI should make good alternate roads in towns and villages. Such signs are common in the US:

2. Driving Etiquette: Most people in India don't know how to drive. They barely know how to operate the car. Things like merging using the on-ramps, exits, switching lanes, blind spots, lane discipline are alien to most Indians. I'd expect expressway driving to be chaotic.
3. Environmental crisis: With all the environmental crisis going on, the government should be pouring more money into upgrading train tracks and signalling. If trains can average 90 km/h, Bangalore-Chennai can be done in 4 hours.
4. Slow Trucks: Trucks need to be significantly upgraded to get significant benefits from using expressways. We need much better (and more powerful) articulated trucks which can comfortably cruise at 90-100 km/h all day. Needless to say, driver training needs to improve.

I honestly think we'd be much better spending money on:
1. Upgrading existing highways with elevated interchanges and barriers protections at towns.
2. Improving public transport inside cities
3. Upgrading rail and track infrastructure
4. Teaching people how to drive

[anantpoddar]

Originally Posted by AseemYadav

I recently drove on the grand trunk road stretch from ranchi to Lucknow.

Agree with most of your points

However it would be unfair to judge the state of roads in the country by looking at one of the worst maintained stretches.
That NH2/NH19 is notorious for testing even the most seasoned driver's patience. Most of the BHPians who do Kolkata-Delhi frequently would agree.

Even this stretch has improved leaps and bounds compared it what it was till last year!

[swarnava.ch]

Originally Posted by AseemYadav

The erstwhile golden quadrilateral has to be made 8 laned throughout before we start making parallel roads

Aseem most of your other points are valid however think of the cost of expanding an existing Expressway or GT Road in terms of Land acquisition costs alone. The land prices would be sky high already along the road. Its a good idea to build alternate parallel roads through less developed cities. Costs are lower at the same time more of these smaller cities benefit from other economic factors of connectivity. And if executed well, it may even shorten the overall distance like for example the new Mumbai Delhi expressway

[AseemYadav]

Originally Posted by anantpoddar

Agree with most of your points

However it would be unfair to judge the state of roads in the country by looking at one of the worst maintained stretches.
That NH2/NH19 is notorious for testing even the most seasoned driver's patience. Most of the BHPians who do Kolkata-Delhi frequently would agree.

Even this stretch has improved leaps and bounds compared it what it was till last year!

That stetch of the highway is in the doldrums for the past 4 years, even though it is an arterial 250 year old road. I hope things improve hereon.

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

Aseem most of your other points are valid however think of the cost of expanding an existing Expressway or GT Road in terms of Land acquisition costs alone. The land prices would be sky high already along the road. Its a good idea to build alternate parallel roads through less developed cities. Costs are lower at the same time more of these smaller cities benefit from other economic factors of connectivity. And if executed well, it may even shorten the overall distance like for example the new Mumbai Delhi expressway

Yes swarnava, this is the gist of the problem. Government usually acquires land for additional lanes during the initial acquisition process itself. So acquisition cost is not the major problem. The major problem is commercial activity and illegal encroachment along the highways. The system to get rid of illegal construction is so convoluted with so many stake holders that it usually becomes impossible to raze an illegal construction in a defined timeline. Building alternative alignments where the highway passes through urban centres is another great idea. I have seen this being implemented on the gwalior Jhansi stretch. That highway has been in the making for the last 10 years. Every year that I pass through there, I stare disbelievingly at the stretches that are still under construction. Commercial activity should be strictly banned along highways and nhai given powers to raze any construction. Slightly off topic, but pertinent. It is the sarkari karmchaaris that need to change for things to change on the ground. Red Tapism, negativity, egotism and turf wars rule the roost. When you become fixated on the process and not the outcomes, results and efficiency get thrown out of the window.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by RBalaM

Yes, as per the recent updates, the Bangalore Chennai expressway works are going to start soon covering around 262kms with a budget of around 20000 crore.

Madras-Bangalore expressway per se doesn't bring any big benefits. As per initial maps, it shares the initial 110 km stretch with the existing NH4. The 6-laning of this 110 km stretch has been going on for ages. Most places work is yet to begin.

Originally Posted by dragracer567

I don't understand why there are no major expressway projects coming up in the South. Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad

For Madras-Bangalore as mentioned above, the new project isn't solving the key problem of Ranipet-Madras.

The progress on NAM bypasses are very slow and this is the only stretch that would provide faster connectivity between Madras and Hyderabad. Very unlikely there'll be a Greenfield between these 2 cities. The utilisation is rather low. However improvisations on NAM and completion of Omerga-Naldurg-Solapur should provide an proper alternate connectivity to Madras-Pune (it already does).

If you take the expressway terminology out, Vikravandi-Panruti-Neyveli-Kumbakonam 4-laning (long overdue), Gooty-Bellary-Hubli 4-laning and Bijapur-Solapur 4-laning are in progress. The latter 2 are important trucking routes. Further up north there is concrete 4-laning in progress between Verul and Kannad, this is also part of the trucking corridor starting from Chitradurga.

[RahuKetu]

A Quick Fact

India has nearly 1.5 lacs KMs of National Highways which is only 2.7% of India's total road network. Interestingly, NHs carry 40% of total road traffic. Government is planning to double length of National Highways in next few years. Currently, average construction progress is 21 KM/day.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by RahuKetu

A Quick Fact

That's because lot of the high traffic corridors are 'taken over' as NHs. For example: Bangalore-Mysore SH17 is now NH275, Madurai Othakadai-Kappalur bypass and Madurai-Tuticorin that were local roads and SH are now NHs.

[quickdraw]

Found this interesting video since we were discussing speed limits earlier

https://youtu.be/9XIjqdk69O4

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by RahuKetu

A Quick Fact

India has nearly 1.5 lacs KMs of National Highways which is only 2.7% of India's total road network. Interestingly, NHs carry 40% of total road traffic. Government is planning to double length of National Highways in next few years. Currently, average construction progress is 21 KM/day.

These are lane kilometers. Given that most new highways being built are 6 lane, we are effectively at about 3.5km a day.

[5kmiles]

Originally Posted by AseemYadav

That stetch of the highway is in the doldrums for the past 4 years, even though it is an arterial 250 year old road. I hope things improve hereon.



Yes swarnava, this is the gist of the problem. Government usually acquires land for additional lanes during the initial acquisition process itself. So acquisition cost is not the major problem. The major problem is commercial activity and illegal encroachment along the highways. The system to get rid of illegal construction is so convoluted with so many stake holders that it usually becomes impossible to raze an illegal construction in a defined timeline. Building alternative alignments where the highway passes through urban centres is another great idea. I have seen this being implemented on the gwalior Jhansi stretch. That highway has been in the making for the last 10 years. Every year that I pass through there, I stare disbelievingly at the stretches that are still under construction. Commercial activity should be strictly banned along highways and nhai given powers to raze any construction. Slightly off topic, but pertinent. It is the sarkari karmchaaris that need to change for things to change on the ground. Red Tapism, negativity, egotism and turf wars rule the roost. When you become fixated on the process and not the outcomes, results and efficiency get thrown out of the window.

Not so in Delhi NCR region. In Gurgaon, for instance, plenty of infra has been built in the last 3 4 years and at blazing pace. Widening and flyover construction on Gurgaon-Sohna road has been going on at very fast clip. All shops/markets along the way demolished without much fuss, including new land acquisition. It is the govt's intent, or the lack of it, and alignment with the vested interests that kills the projects.

[Cool Vibes]

A very informative thread for getting updated with upcoming express ways in India. Such e-ways after their completion will drastically change the logistics and economic scenario in India. Some of the things which may change are:

• Higher Average speed and better FE: On highways journey, passenger cars running upto speed of 100 kmph gives an average of 60-70kmph for the entire trip. This is due to limited lanes, traffic congestion, various intersections, road side rural markets etc. that doesn’t allows the vehicle to run at steady pace. With availability of e-ways, one can easily maintain steady speed with better FE (provided running in economical rpm range) thus by yeilding higher average speed and lesser travelling time. Commercial vehicles will also get benefit in the same respect.

• Lesser dependency on trains and flights: In peak season when flight ticket fares reach sky limit, trains get full, e-ways will certainly open up an alternate for those who want to travel all of a sudden or a family trip that will cost feasible too. They don’t have to stick with fix booking schedule and will ease the travel itinerary.

• Increase in demand for D segment cars: Indian car market comprises mostly in A, B and C segment which are designed to perform well upto 100-120 kmph speed limit. It is not safe to drive faster in these vehicles due to the handling and stability issues, comfort levels and FE. These e-ways will attract frequent travellers to buy heavier cars with larger engine options (mostly in D segment) to cover long distance journeys comfortably at high speeds.

Now the question arises, are we capable enough to use these ultra fast expressways?
Lack of driving etiquette, wrong lane driving, tendency of breaking traffic rules, using non maintained vehicles are just some of the factors that lead to road accidents and take human lives.

[darklord]

It was one amongst the first proposed expressways in India, scuttled by local politicians on the flimsy ground that it will divide the state into two. I remember Gulfar Group coming forward with a proposed completion date of 2007.

17 years later, a "lengthy" state like Kerala is yet to have a proper multilane highway running through its length.

Kerala's expressway of hope

By George Iype in Kochi
January 28, 2003 15:40 IST

It is billed as the highway of hope that would bring investment and prosperity to industry-starved Kerala and change the state's economic and urban face.

A 507-kilometre expressway connecting Kerala's southern and northern tips and passing through 12 of the state's 14 districts is the biggest-ever infrastructure project that the A K Antony government is getting ready to execute.

https://www.rediff.com/money/2003/jan/28kerala.htm

[ArjunPadmakumar]

Originally Posted by darklord

It was one amongst the first proposed expressways in India, scuttled by local politicians on the flimsy ground that it will divide the state into two. I remember Gulfar Group coming forward with a proposed completion date of 2007.

17 years later, a "lengthy" state like Kerala is yet to have a proper multilane highway running through its length.

Kerala's expressway of hope
https://www.rediff.com/money/2003/jan/28kerala.htm

Its really disheartening to see our state having so many proposals such as this, the original High speed rail corridor, Yasoram sky-city and so on and yet hardly progressing.Hope the situation changes sometime in the future.

[avishar]

You guys should all visit Skyscrapercity more often. Reminds me of GTO's thread, which other forums do you visit? I probably trawl through there more often than Team-bhp.

Some of the infra-enthusiasts can sniff out an expressway or project by just keeping an eye on environmental clearances being cleared.

Meanwhile, here's a beautiful shot of the future Igatpuri Tunnel of the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway, which will go right under the Kasara Ghat. It's quite an engineering feat. Almost 9 km long, with 3 lanes in each tube.