Explore Business Standard
National Highways
The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of a six-lane access-controlled capital region ring road (Bhubaneswar Bypass) in Odisha on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a total capital cost of Rs 8,307.74 crore, I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday. Currently, connectivity between Rameshwar and Tangi on the existing National Highway experience significant congestion due to high traffic volumes, passing through highly urbanised cities Khordha, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. To address these challenges, the 110 km-long project is proposed to be developed as a 6-lane access-controlled greenfield highway, an official statement said. "The project will provide significant benefit to Odisha and other eastern States by diverting heavy commercial traffic away from Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khordha Cities. This will enhance the efficiency of freight movement, reducing logistics cost and driving socio-economic growth in the region," it said. The project alignment integrates with three major
The newly introduced FASTag annual pass facility has crossed the landmark figure of five lakh users across the country within four days, an official statement said on Monday. FASTag annual pass, applicable on about 1,150 toll collection booths on National Highways and expressways allowing users to cross 200 toll plazas in a year for a one-time payment of Rs 3,000, was launched on August 15. The facility has received an overwhelming response from the National Highway users across the country. Tamil Nadu led with the maximum number of annual pass purchases in the last four days, followed by Karnataka and Haryana, the statement said. Besides, maximum transactions through FASTag annual pass were recorded at toll plazas in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, it added. The pass is applicable for all non-commercial vehicles with a valid FASTag and gets activated within two hours of the one-time payment using Rajmargyatra app or the NHAI website.
The pace of National Highways construction in India slowed to 29 km/day in the last fiscal, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said the pace of National Highways construction during 2023-24 stood at 34 km/day. The highest-ever pace was recorded in 2020-21, when it reached 37 km per day. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is primarily responsible for development and maintenance of National Highways (NHs), including National Expressways. The ministry had constructed 10,660 km length of national highways in 2024-25, 12,349 km length of national highways in 2023-24 and 10,331 km length of national highways in 2022-23. Gadkari said all the NHs development projects, including development of access-controlled High Speed Corridors (HSC) / Expressways, are planned in line with PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP) Principles. "The government has constructed 10,660 km of NHs duri
The government has reduced the toll rates up to 50 per cent for the sections of National Highways that have structures like tunnels, bridges, flyovers or elevated stretches, a move which will lower travelling cost for motorists. User charges at fee plazas on National Highways are collected as per NH Fee Rules, 2008. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made amendment to 2008 rules and notified a new method or formula for calculating toll charges. "The rate of fee for use of a section of national highway comprising of structure or structures shall be calculated by adding ten times the length of structure or structures to the length of the section of national highway excluding the length of structure or structures, or five times the total length of section of national highway, whichever is lesser," said the notification dated July 2, 2025. 'Structure' means an independent bridge, tunnel or flyover or elevated highway. To explain the new toll charges, the ministry has cited
Union minister Nitin Gadkari will on Thursday inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 6,350 crore in Jharkhand, officials said. The Union Road Transport and Highways Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of 11 National Highway projects in the state, including nine from Ranchi and two from Garhwa. Among the projects are an elevated corridor worth Rs 560 crore in Ranchi, and two projects worth Rs 2,460 crore in Garhwa. Gadkari will inaugurate the 4.18-km elevated 'Ratu Road flyover', which starts near Raj Bhavan and ends at OTC Ground in Ranchi. In Garhwa, he will inaugurate a 23-km four-lane highway from Shankha to Khajoori, built at a cost of Rs 1,130 crore, the officials said. He will also lay the foundation stone of a Rs 1,330-crore project for four-laning of a 32-km stretch of NH 39 from the Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand inter-state boundary to Gumla, they added. "From Ranchi, the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari will launch the
The Union government has approved the annual plan of Rs 3,667 crore for the construction and up-gradation of roads, bridges and related infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh for the financial year 2024'25, said Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Monday. The plan includes construction of bridges, road widening, installation of crash barriers and other works on national highways across various districts of the state, he said in a statement issued here. The minister said that he recently met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and discussed important issues related to the state, appraising him that presently the state has around 1,200 kilometres of roads under the national highway network and requested to enhance central assistance for their maintenance and improvement of road and other related works. He said that while the state had submitted an annual plan of Rs 2,600 crore for the financial year 2023'24, but received only Rs 269 crore, which was ...
Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said Odisha will soon get America-like highways. Unveiling 19 national highway projects worth Rs 4,137 crore in the state, he said road connectivity will boost tourism in the state. "The Centre will provide world-class infrastructure to Odisha, and the people here will soon get America-like highways. The state has ports, minerals and forests. Road connectivity will boost its tourism potential," he said. Noting that the Centre has undertaken highway projects worth nearly Rs 2 lakh crore in the state, Gadkari said projects worth Rs 60,000 crore have already been completed. Works for projects worth Rs 60,000 crore are underway, while projects worth Rs 75,000 crore are in the pipeline, he said. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy CMs Pravati Parida and KV Singh Deo, MPs, MLAs and ministers were present at the programme at Baramunda Maidan in Bhubaneswar. Referring to the demand made by Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, Gad