National Highways

The Backbone of India's Road Network: National Highways

National Highways are the principal roads of India, constructed and maintained directly by the Central Government. Their primary purpose is to serve inter-state transport and to enable the movement of defence personnel and equipment in strategically important areas. They also link state capitals, major cities, important ports, and railway junctions, forming the country's arterial transport system.

The scale of this network has grown dramatically. From a modest 19,700 km in 1951, the total length of National Highways expanded to 1,36,440 km by 2020. Despite this vast reach, National Highways account for only about 2 per cent of India's total road length. Their importance, however, is immense — they carry a staggering 40 per cent of the nation's road traffic.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)

To manage this critical network, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was operationalised in 1995. NHAI is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Surface Transport. It is the apex agency responsible for the development, maintenance, and operation of all National Highways. Its core mandate is to improve the quality and efficiency of these roads.

Major Development Projects

NHAI has undertaken several landmark projects to upgrade the highway network. The most prominent are:

• Golden Quadrilateral: This project involves constructing a 5,846 km long, 4/6-lane, high-density traffic corridor. It connects India's four biggest metro cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. The primary goal is to significantly reduce the time, distance, and cost of movement between these major economic hubs.

• North-South and East-West Corridors: These are two complementary projects designed to create a national grid.

  • The North-South Corridor aims to connect Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir with Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu, including the Cochin-Salem spur. Its planned length is 4,076 km.
  • The East-West Corridor is planned to connect Silchar in Assam with the port town of Porbandar in Gujarat, covering a length of 3,640 km.

India's Road Network at a Glance (2020)

The following table from the textbook shows the composition of India's total road network, highlighting the small but crucial share of National Highways.

| Serial No. | Road Category | Length in Km |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | …