India targets pothole-free highways
ROADS & HIGHWAYS

India targets pothole-free highways

The Indian government is finalising a comprehensive plan to eliminate potholes on the country's national highways by December 2023. This initiative involves shifting the construction focus from the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) model to the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model and the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) for government projects under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Under the BOT model, the responsibility for highway maintenance lies with the contractor, ensuring the creation of high-quality roads that require minimal ongoing maintenance costs, as stated by Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.

To achieve this ambitious goal, the government plans to engage young engineers and is actively exploring ways to reduce carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels in road construction. Projects exceeding Rs 5 billion will predominantly use the BOT and HAM models, while the EPC model will remain in use for smaller road sections.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has mapped the entire 1,46,000-kilometer national highway network and is developing performance-based maintenance and short-term maintenance contracts to eradicate potholes by December 2023. Additionally, the ministry is crafting a policy to encourage the use of municipal waste in road construction, promoting waste segregation facilities.

In an effort to reduce costs and dependency on fossil fuels, the ministry is also working on a draft policy to incentivise the use of alternative fuels in construction equipment. Interest subvention schemes and financial incentives are being considered to encourage investment in equipment powered by alternative fuels.

Furthermore, the ministry is exploring innovative technologies for the development of electric highways, particularly between Delhi and Jaipur, where electric traction will enable the operation of electric buses similar to the railway system. These initiatives aim to decarbonize the transportation sector and drive India towards a sustainable and pothole-free road network.

The Indian government is finalising a comprehensive plan to eliminate potholes on the country's national highways by December 2023. This initiative involves shifting the construction focus from the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) model to the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model and the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) for government projects under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Under the BOT model, the responsibility for highway maintenance lies with the contractor, ensuring the creation of high-quality roads that require minimal ongoing maintenance costs, as stated by Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. To achieve this ambitious goal, the government plans to engage young engineers and is actively exploring ways to reduce carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels in road construction. Projects exceeding Rs 5 billion will predominantly use the BOT and HAM models, while the EPC model will remain in use for smaller road sections. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has mapped the entire 1,46,000-kilometer national highway network and is developing performance-based maintenance and short-term maintenance contracts to eradicate potholes by December 2023. Additionally, the ministry is crafting a policy to encourage the use of municipal waste in road construction, promoting waste segregation facilities. In an effort to reduce costs and dependency on fossil fuels, the ministry is also working on a draft policy to incentivise the use of alternative fuels in construction equipment. Interest subvention schemes and financial incentives are being considered to encourage investment in equipment powered by alternative fuels. Furthermore, the ministry is exploring innovative technologies for the development of electric highways, particularly between Delhi and Jaipur, where electric traction will enable the operation of electric buses similar to the railway system. These initiatives aim to decarbonize the transportation sector and drive India towards a sustainable and pothole-free road network.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

KONE Opens India's First Digital Experience Centre in Pune

KONE, a global elevator and escalator manufacturer, has inaugurated its first Digital Experience Centre (DEC) in India, located in Pune. The facility aims to showcase how artificial intelligence (AI), connectivity and data-driven technologies can enhance customer experiences and improve building operations.The centre was inaugurated by Jussi Herlin, Executive Vice Chair, KONE Corporation; Philippe Delorme, President and CEO, KONE; and Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board, Infosys.Designed as an interactive customer environment, the facility demonstrates digital solutions cover..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

CII GreenCo Launches Circularity Guidelines for Indian Industry

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) GreenCo Council has launched the CII GreenCo Circularity Guidelines – Pilot Version at the 17th CII GreenCo Waste & Resource Management Summit 2026 in Chennai. The initiative aims to strengthen resource efficiency, waste reduction and circular economy practices across Indian manufacturing and process industries.The guidelines introduce a structured framework with circularity indices covering raw materials, consumables, packaging and other resource inputs. These indicators will help industries assess existing practices, identify opportunities to ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

Global Electronics Association Launches IPC-1783-CO2E Standard

The Global Electronics Association has introduced IPC-1783-CO2E, a new international standard aimed at improving consistency, transparency and comparability in product carbon footprint reporting across the electronics manufacturing industry.The standard, titled International Standard for Data Collection and Reporting of CO2 Equivalent (CO2e) Emissions for the Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain, provides industry-specific guidance for collecting, estimating and reporting carbon emissions data.With increasing regulatory requirements and customer expectations, electronics manufacturers face c..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code