India’s Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari stated that the central government constructed 57,125 km of national highways over the last five years (up to early 2026), averaging 34,215 lane-km annually. This expansion generated about 33 crore person-days of employment yearly, including direct and indirect jobs.
Network Growth
The national highway length grew from 91,287 km in 2014 to 146,572 km currently, with four-lane or wider segments rising 2.6 times to 48,568 km. Operational access-controlled expressways increased from 93 km in 2014 to 3,052 km, while sub-two-lane highways dropped from 30% to 9% of the total network.
Future Targets
The government aims to operationalize 18,000 km of access-controlled national expressways by 2028-29 and award 26,000 km by 2032-33. Priorities include port connectivity per the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, industrial nodes via NICDC, and ring roads/bypasses for cities over 500,000 population.
Logistics Impact
These developments enhance connectivity for urban, rural, and industrial areas, boosting logistics efficiency and economic growth. A study by IIT Kanpur estimates 1 lane-km of highway creates 4,478 direct, 5,297 indirect, and 52,393 induced person-days of employment over seven years.
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