National Highways

55 National Highway projects faced major failures since 2014; Kerala tops

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

West Asia, project delays dent highway building in April-May FY27

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

SC questions Highways Act, says bureaucrats should not decide compensation

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

CIC advises NHAI to proactively disclose contracts' info in public domain

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

NHAI wins ₹1,202 cr arbitration award in Karnataka highway project case

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

CCEA approves highway projects worth ₹24,249.6 crore in four states

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

Centre seeks state funding support for urban NH decongestion projects

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

60% of national highway projects on annuity model facing delays: Crisil

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

India drives into an era of barrier-free toll collection with MLFF rollout

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

Nitin Gadkari launches India's first barrier-less toll system in Gujarat

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

NHAI can't deny recompense citing financial burden: Supreme Court

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

Govt cuts toll on partially-open National Expressways from Feb 15

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. ...

New NHAI InvIT for retail investors receives 5 NHs for ₹9,500 crore

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

Over 500 roads, including four NHs, shut in Himachal due to heavy snowfall

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

SC flags gaps in highway land compensation, asks Centre to revisit NH Act

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

NHAI, Reliance Jio launch trials for real-time cattle alerts on highways

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Wednesday said it has launched a pilot project in two NH corridors for real-time stray cattle safety alert on National Highways to reduce accidents caused by sudden cattle movement. State-owned NHAI, in a statement, said the pilot project is being implemented on the Jaipur-Agra and Jaipur-Rewari NH corridors. As part of this initiative, Reliance Jio has upgraded its platform to enable nationwide delivery of these real-time stray cattle safety alerts. Last month, NHAI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Reliance Jio to introduce a telecom-based safety alert system across the National Highway network. The initiative aims to reduce accidents caused by sudden cattle movement on the National Highways, particularly during fog and low-visibility conditions. "Under the pilot project, location-based alerts will be triggered for the National Highway commuters, providing advance warnings approximately 10 km before identified ...

NHAI reaches out to DoT, Trai to improve mobile connectivity on highways

State-owned NHAI on Tuesday said it has sought urgent intervention from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Trai to improve mobile network connectivity on National Highways. NHAI in a statement said as part of a comprehensive assessment undertaken by the state-owned agency, 424 locations covering about 1,750 km across the National Highway network have been identified as critically affected due to non-availability of the mobile network connectivity. "Identifying critical mobile network connectivity issues across several stretches of National Highways, NHAI has sought the intervention of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to issue appropriate directions to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) for addressing non-availability of the mobile network connectivity on several stretches of National Highways, particularly on greenfield and remote sections," it said. Emphasising public safety implications and the strategic ...

Cabinet clears 6-lane Nashik-Akkalkot highway; NH-326 upgrade in Odisha

The Cabinet has cleared two major road projects, including a six-lane Nashik-Solapur-Akkalkot highway in Maharashtra and the widening of NH-326 in Odisha, with an estimated cost of ₹1,526.21 crore

In PM's absence, Bengal Guv launches highway projects worth Rs 3,200 cr

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday unveiled national highway projects worth Rs 3,200 crore in West Bengal with an aim to boost economic activities and tourism in the state. Bose officially launched the projects from Netaji Park in Taherpur area of Nadia district instead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was initially supposed to unveil the development projects from the ground, but whose helicopter failed to land in the area on account of insufficient visibility due to dense fog over the region. Modi was forced to return to the Kolkata airport from where he later addressed the crowd in a virtual audio mode. Bose inaugurated the 66.7 km-long four-laning of the Barajaguli-Krishnanagar section of NH-34 in Nadia district, while he laid the foundation stone for the four-laning of the Barasat-Barajaguli stretch of the highway in the adjacent district of North 24 Parganas. It has remained our constant endeavour to ensure modern connectivity to those far-flung areas of Benga

Multi-lane free flow toll collection by 2026-end, says Nitin Gadkari

India will roll out MLFF tolling nationwide by end-2026, enabling pay-as-you-drive travel, eliminating toll booths and cutting wait times and fuel losses