Upcoming Expressways and Major Highway Projects in India

The government has sanctioned highway and expressways construction activities in various cities in India. The National Expressways Authority of India (NEAI) operates under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and is in charge of the construction and maintenance of expressways. These projects will have a major impact on the near-term traffic, as well as the long-term infrastructure of these cities.

In addition to improvements and expansions of existing highways, new flyovers, service roads, and elevated expressways are being built across the country. Road construction is expected to continue at a rapid pace over the next few years as several states look to improve their infrastructure and reduce congestion in urban areas.

Highway projects are complex undertakings that require careful planning and execution with minimal disruption to nearby residents and businesses. They almost always involve an extensive permitting process, coordination with numerous government agencies, private property owners, local zoning laws, environmental compliance standards, utility service providers, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers — and everyone else involved in completing the project from start to finish.

Upcoming Projects Underway in India

The largest highway project in India, the Golden Quadrilateral project was launched in 2001 as part of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP). Since then, the government has sanctioned many highway, greenfield expressway & expressway projects such as the Delhi-Mumbai expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, Pune Expressway, Agra-Lucknow Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway, Ganga Expressway and Bharatmala.

Bharatmala Pariyojana is a road and highways project of the Government of India with a target of constructing 83,677 km of new highways over the next five years. It was started in 2018 and sponsored and funded by the central government. Phase I of the Bharatmala project involves the construction of 34,800 km of highways (including the remaining projects under NHDP) at an estimated project cost of ₹5.35 lakh crore.

Bharatmala aims at bridging critical infrastructure gaps between major cities and economic trade centres to ensure the efficiency of road traffic movement across India. Bharatmala will increase economic activity across tier 2 & tier 3 cities in India and reduce travel time by 30-50%.

By March 2025, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to have 23 new highways completed, including expressways and economic corridors, throughout the country.

By March 2023, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway, and Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway will be open, with nine more to be open by March 2024. In the next five years, the investment required for the development of nine more greenfield highways will cost of Rs.3.3 lakh crores.

This network of expressways connects Surat, Solapur, Lucknow, Vizag, Chennai, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Raipur, Kota, Kharagpur, and Siliguri. Officials predict that the projects with deadline dates of 2023 and 2024 will be awarded by next year.

The Indian Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways has initiated several major highway projects across the country, including the following:

Source: TOI

Ahmedabad Flyover Revamp

The Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar flyover collapse in August 2017 killed 39 people and injured many others. The old, single-lane structure was built in the 1990s and was designed to last only 20 years. It was originally designed to carry 12,000 vehicles per day (AADT), but was being used by 35,000 vehicles per day. Subsequent bridge collapses in Kolkata (2002), Varanasi (2007), and Surat (2009) revealed India’s need for stronger bridge engineering. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Gujarat State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) have embarked on a $400 million dollar project to build a new, wider, double-decked flyover. The project will be completed in 2022 and will have three lanes in each direction. The south flyover will be built first and will be followed by the north flyover.

Delhi Ring Road Improvement Project

The Indian National Highway-24 (NH-24) is a major arterial connecting Delhi to the northern states of Haryana, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh. The 13-km-long stretch between the towns of Welcome and Delhi is reportedly the busiest stretch of the highway, with over 200,000 vehicles using the road daily. The NH-24 Ring Road Improvement Project is a proposed project to widen and improve the 24-km stretch of the NH-24 connecting Welcome and Delhi. The project will involve the construction of a 24-km elevated expressway, 5 interchanges, and a 9-km long feeder road from Welcome to the ring road. The project is being undertaken by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and is expected to be completed by 2023.

Coimbatore Bypass and Elevated Road

The National Highway-67 (NH-67), connecting the southern city of Coimbatore to Salem in the northwest and the state capital Chennai in the southeast, is a major arterial road that is reportedly close to gridlock throughout the day due to heavy traffic and commercial activity along the route. The Coimbatore Bypass and Elevated Road project includes the following: - Construction of a 15-km-long six-lane bypass road connecting the NH-67 and NH-209. - Construction of an 8-km-long, 6-lane elevated road from the NH-209 to the Southern Bypass Road. - Widening of the NH-209 from Pudur to Sathy Road to 4 lanes.

Kolkata Eastern Metropolitan Bypass (EMBy)

The east-west EMBy is a proposed 6-lane, 18-km-long road connecting the eastern side of Kolkata to the north-south Jessore Road. The project is expected to cost $1 billion and will be completed by 2023. The EMBy is expected to reduce road travel time between Kolkata and the newly-developed areas of South Bengal, including Haldia, by almost 2 hours. The project is also expected to help reduce traffic congestion in the EMBy and other major roads of Kolkata.

Mumbai’s Road Network Improvement Project (RNIP) and Smart Connected Vehicles Platform (SCVP)

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has initiated the following two projects to improve the road network in Mumbai: The Mumbai’s Road Network Improvement Project (MRNIP) is an initiative to widen and improved several arterial roads in Mumbai, including the Grant Road, Mahim Causeway, Churchgate, and Western Express Highway (WEH). The project involves widening the roads to accommodate 5 lanes in each direction, including a bus rapid transit lane. The project is expected to be completed in 2021. The Smart Connected Vehicles Platform (SCVP), an initiative to implement the first-ever vehicle-to-everything (V2X) system in India. The SCVP will enable vehicles to communicate with each other, with roadside infrastructure, and with the Cloud to improve road safety, reduce pollution, and alleviate traffic congestion.

Jaipur Urban Access and Mobility Improvement Project (AUIMP)

The AUIMP is an initiative to develop the southern fringe of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, into an industrial, commercial, and residential area. The project includes the following: - A 6-lane expressway connecting the Eastern Bypass to the Western Bypass. - A 4-lane road connecting the Western Bypass to the Southern Bypass. - A 6-lane road connecting the Southern Bypass to the Ring Road.

Summary

Highway construction will have a significant impact on the daily lives of millions of people in India. For example, improved highway links will help reduce travel time between major cities, and this will lead to increased trade between states. Better highway links will also help reduce pollution in urban areas, and they will improve the quality of life in metropolitan cities. The government must take the necessary steps to ensure that these projects are implemented in a timely manner and that the contractors hired to build them adhere to strict timelines and guidelines.