UK added just 105 km of expressway in 10 years. What about India & China?

New data has revealed that Britain has added just 65 miles (105 km) of motorway in the past decade, a figure that includes reclassifications rather than fresh construction

In the realm of economic growth of a nation, road infrastructure development has been a key indicator of economic ambition and regional connectivity. While countries like India and China have rapidly expanded their motorway (expressway) and highway networks in the past decade, the United Kingdom has made only modest progress. New data has revealed that Britain has added just 65 miles (105 km) of motorway in the past decade (between 2014 and 2024), a figure that includes reclassifications rather than fresh construction, according to a report by the Financial Times. 

 

The total motorway length grew from 2,265 miles (3,645 km) in 2014 to 2,330 miles (3749.7 km) in 2024. However, only three significant new stretches were actually built: on the A1(M) towards Newcastle, the M8 near Glasgow, and the M90 including the Queensferry Crossing, the report stated. These total just 24 miles (38.6 km), suggesting that the remaining 41 miles (66 km) were reclassified segments, not newly constructed roads.

 

 

UK lags behind rest of Europe’s road expansion 

The last decade data is indicative of a general slowness in building new motorways in Britain. Meanwhile, emerging and developed economies alike are racing ahead. Compared to Britain’s modest motorway growth, several other European countries made massive infrastructure gains. Between 1990 and 2024, the UK added just 422 miles (679 km) of motorway, the Financial Times said. In the same period,

 

> Spain constructed 6,917 miles (11,131.8 km)

> France built 3,057 miles (4,919.7 km)

> Germany added 1,440 miles (2,317.4 km)

> Turkey expanded by 2,082 miles (3,350.6 km)

> Poland grew by 1,545 miles (2,486 km)

 

These figures are indicative of the UK’s relative stagnation in road infrastructure development over the past 35 years. One of the major reasons for the slowness in road infra growth has been the opposition from environmentalists for new constructions. Environmentalists have consistently opposed new motorway construction due to concerns over emissions and loss of biodiversity. This tension continues to delay or stall major projects, even as demand for better road capacity rises, the report claimed.

 

Also read: Gadkari unveils projects worth ₹4K cr, says Odisha to get US-like highways

 

What does ‘increasing road capacity’ really mean? 

Expanding motorways involves either constructing new roads or widening existing ones to handle more traffic. This can also include implementing smart motorway systems, where traffic is managed through variable speed limits and the use of hard shoulders as extra lanes.

 

Traditionally, expanding road capacity was believed to ease congestion, reduce travel time, and support economic growth. But current research and case studies suggest the opposite may occur over time.

 

However, many infrastructure experts have cautioned that expanding motorway capacity often results in what is called ‘an induced demand’. This means that newly available road space attracts additional vehicles, eventually restoring congestion levels.

 

With the new and added capacities of roads, more people start using roads once capacity increases, therefore, initial traffic improvements often fade within a few years.

 

How much road infra has India developed since 2014? 

India, on the other hand, has significantly increased its motorway and highway infrastructure from 2014 to 2024. The national highways network expanded from 91,287 km in 2014 to 146,145 km by November 2023, an increase of 54,858 km or nearly 60 per cent, according to government data.

 

Meanwhile, as of 2024, 2,138 km of expressways are operational, with six new corridors launched in 2023-24 alone. Since its 2017 launch, the Bharatmala Pariyojana programme has completed 18,926 km of roads as of November 2024. The overall plan envisages the construction of 83,677 km of roads, including 34,800 km of new highways in addition to existing projects.

 

Also read: Noida is building a second expressway along River Yamuna: Here's why

 

How does China compare in road infrastructure? 

China leads globally in motorway expansion, having added 50,000 km of expressways over the past decade. Its expressway network grew from 127,000 km in 2013 to 177,000 km by the end of 2023, according to CEIC data. 18,400 km of newly added expressways have more than six lanes.

 

This expansion makes China’s expressway system the largest in the world. Major national expressways linking major cities have been expanded and upgraded, and the number of expressways with more than six lanes increased by 18,400 km over the past 10 years. China’s expressway component alone saw a 50,000 km increase.