National Highways

Highways to be ranked on efficiency, safety and user experience

Road ministry tightens highway construction norms, introducing penalties for contractors over repeat fatal accidents and capping subcontracting at 30% of project value

The Highways Ministry has invoked the newly introduced provision of the catastrophic failure clause against two highway developers for major structural failures on National Highways projects. The provisions of the catastrophic event allow highway-owning agencies to bar highway developers for two years from bidding for new projects. Such highway builders also face negative ratings that will adversely impact their chances of getting future projects. According to documents accessed by PTI, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry has notified a catastrophic event in a project comprising the four-lane Poondiankuppam-Sattanatharupam section of NH-45 (New NH-32) from km 67 to km 123 in Tamil Nadu under HAM mode. "The bid project cost was Rs 2,120 crore, and it was awarded to M/S Poonadinkuppam Sattanathapuram Section Private Limited (Promoters-M/s Oriental) under a concession agreement. The appointed date of the project was January 20, 2022, with a scheduled completion date of January 19,

Highway authority will inspect 17 projects where bids were over 15 per cent below estimated costs, with a second round of quality checks planned after six months

The guidelines aim to standardise technical and safety provisions for high-speed corridors as India plans 50,000 km of access-controlled highways under Viksit Bharat 2047

Of the 55 NH projects involving caving in, major failures or structural damage since 2014, Kerala accounted for the highest number

Down 45% year-on-year to 740 km in April-May FY27

The top court said determining compensation for acquired land is a judicial function and welcomed the Centre's proposal to amend the National Highways Act

Underlining that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is not placing contract agreement-related information in the public domain, the CIC has advised the authority to proactively disclose highway contracts, safety plans and other key project documents to promote transparency and accountability. Issuing an advisory under Section 25(5) of the RTI Act, Information Commissioner Jaya Varma Sinha said the "NHAI is not placing contract agreement-related information on their website in the public domain". The Central Information Commission (CIC) observed that "contractual agreements and safety plans directly impact public safety, transparency, and accountability in infrastructure projects". It noted that "withholding such information under the guise of exemptions is inconsistent with the spirit of the RTI Act". According to the order, proactive disclosure would "enhance transparency in public procurement and execution of highway projects", "ensure accountability of contractors a

The award relates to the Tumkur-Chitradurga six-laning project in Karnataka, where the concessionaire was required to pay annual premium with escalation

Odisha coastal highway set to take off after a decade-long wait

States can choose from four funding models, including sharing land acquisition costs, to support ring roads, bypasses and elevated corridors around cities

Crisil said most delayed highway projects under the hybrid annuity model have received extension approvals as delays were beyond concessionaires' control

Multi-lane free flow system launched in Gujarat; Delhi will be next

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday announced the launch of India's first Multi-Lane Free Flow barrier-less tolling system at the Chorayasi Toll Plaza on the Surat-Bharuch section of NH-48 in Gujarat, marking a big shift in highway tolling. Gadkari, in a social media post on X, said the state-of-the-art system enables seamless toll collection without requiring vehicles to stop, using advanced technologies such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and FASTag. The highways minister noted that the introduction of Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) marks a major milestone in the digitisation of India's tolling ecosystem and the modernisation of National Highway infrastructure in line with global standards. The system is expected to significantly reduce travel time, decongest highways, improve fuel efficiency, lower vehicular emissions, and minimise human intervention in toll operations, he added. Gadkari stated that barrier-less tolling will enhance 'ease of living' for citizens an

Supreme Court refuses to limit 2019 Tarsem Singh ruling, saying constitutional guarantee of just compensation cannot be diluted due to financial burden

The government has amended the national highways fee rules to lower toll fees for the users of partially operational National Expressways. The amended rules will come into effect from February 15, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways said in a statement on Thursday. The government has notified an amendment to the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, it said. Under this, when a National Expressway is not opened end-to-end, the toll fee will be charged for the completed length at a lower rate as applicable for the National Highway, the Ministry said. It said that presently, user fee on National Expressways is charged 25 per cent more than normal National Highways user fee for the completed length as they provide access-controlled, faster and seamless travel experience which provides comfortable travel to commuters.. This fee is levied for the completed section even if the Expressway is not fully open along its entire length end to end. ...

NHAI has accepted a ₹9,500-crore offer from Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust to monetise five highway stretches spanning over 260 km across four states, expanding retail participation in road assets

The PWD said 264 machines, including 78 departmental JCBs, 128 hired JCBs, 18 robots, 10 dozers and 30 tippers, have been deployed for snow clearance operations across the state

Supreme Court flags unfair compensation regime under National Highways Act, says landowners are disadvantaged compared with other land acquisition laws