Highway building slows to 19.44 km per day in first half

The pace of national highway construction has slowed to 19.44 km per day during the first six months of the current financial year, according to official data. The pace of National Highway (NH) construction in the country had touched a record 37 km per day in 2020-21, but it had slowed to 28.64 km a day in 2021-22 due to pandemic-related disruptions and a longer-than-usual monsoon in some parts of the country. The ministry has constructed 3,559 km of National Highways up to September in 2022-23 as compared to 3,824 km constructed up to September in 2021-22, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said in its monthly summary for the cabinet for September 2022. According to the ministry data, the figure for highway projects awarded is 4,092 km during April-September this year, as compared to 4,609 km in the corresponding period a year ago. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) are primarily responsible for the construction of national highways and expressways across the country. The official target of highway construction has been kept at 12,000 km for the current financial year. The ministry had constructed 10,237 km in 2019-20, 13,327 km in 2020-21 and 10,457 km in 2021-22. See also: NHAI invites DPR bids for Vizag flyoversNHIDCL invites bids for upgradation of NH-217 in Meghalaya