India’s Road Transport and Highways Ministry has set forth an ambitious plan to revolutionize the nation’s highway network, aiming to extend high-speed (access-controlled) corridors to an impressive 50,000 kilometers by 2047. This initiative is a part of a larger vision aimed at fortifying India’s infrastructure and aligning with the nation’s growth targets.
The proposed expansion, from the current 3,913 kilometers (as of 2023), to 50,000 kilometers by 2047 signifies a strategic shift in the approach to highway construction and upgrades. The project, aligned with broader infrastructure development goals, seeks to enhance travel efficiency by increasing the average speed of trucks on the national highway network from 45 to 75-80 kilometers per hour, according to Road Transport and Highways Secretary Anurag Jain. The ministry has finalized a comprehensive vision document for the infrastructure sector, forming part of a larger policy framework to propel India toward becoming a developed economy with a targeted GDP of around 30 trillion USD by 2047.
