Road Ministry hopes to construct over 12,000 km of roads in FY24
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways expects to construct anywhere between 12,000 and 13,000 km of national highways in 2023-24, which will be the second highest national highways construction in the country.
The highest annual construction so far has been 13,327 km in 2020-21 while the second highest was 10,855 km in 2018-19. The ministry has completed construction of 7,685 km till the end of January 2024. It had set a construction target of 13,814 km for FY ’24.
“We are optimistic of doing 4500-5000 km in the remaining two months which will help us to achieve anywhere between 12,000 and 13,000 km in the current financial year. This will be the second best achievement,” road transport and highways secretary Anurag Jain said on Friday.
According to Jain, the current financial year will however see highest ever four-lane roads being constructed and highest ever speed or access controlled highways with capacity augmentation pegged at 9,500 km which will be a record for the ministry.
“Up to January 2024, we have seen a 10% year-on-year growth while the increase in construction of four-lane highways is 16%,” he said, adding that the construction of four-lane and above roads now stands at two-and-a-half times the annual achievement of FY ’14.
As per the government data, 794 km of six or eight-lane highways have been built in the country in the 10 months of the current fiscal between April and January 2024, compared to 753 km during the same period in 2022-23 and 715 km in 2021-22.
The four-lang highways, on the
