India now commands the world’s second-largest road system after the United States, with its National Highway (NH) length soaring 60 %—from 91,287 km in 2014 to 146,195 km in 2024. Announcing the milestone during a site-visit to Uttar Pradesh on 20 May 2025, Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways Harsh Malhotra credited focused programmes such as Bharatmala for the surge. He noted that four-lane-plus stretches have multiplied 2.6 times to 48,422 km, while daily construction speeds have nearly tripled to 33.8 km.
Malhotra laid foundations for five vehicular underpasses in Kushinagar (₹111 crore, 5.4 km) and inspected the 75 km Gorakhpur Ring Road, urging officials to fast-track the remaining 26 km so the ₹1,780-crore corridor opens on schedule. He emphasised that every rupee spent on highways generates a 3.2-times boost to GDP by cutting travel time, slashing logistics costs and knitting growth hubs together.
With fresh projects linking Ayodhya, Varanasi and Prayagraj, the government insists the highway push is more than asphalt—it’s a backbone for “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.
