Road Transport in India
Let’s begin with a simple question:
“If India is the body, what is its circulatory system?”
The answer is: Roads.
And if that’s the case, then National Highways are the arteries, State Highways are veins, and the rural roads? They are like the capillaries reaching the remotest cells of the nation 😊
India’s Road Network: The Big Picture
- India has the second-largest road network in the world—63.73 lakh km in total length.
- Now, this isn’t just about numbers. These roads are lifelines:
- They carry 85% of the passenger traffic.
- And 70% of the freight—that is, goods and commodities that move across the country.
So while railways may be more visible in old NCERT diagrams, in terms of sheer usage, roads dominate India’s transport landscape.
Classification of Roads
Roads are categorized based on the level of government and function:
| Type of Road | Purpose |
|---|---|
| National Highways (NH) | Long-distance, inter-state transport; central government jurisdiction. |
| State Highways (SH) | Connect state capitals and major towns within a state. |
| Major District Roads | Connect production areas to markets; district-level movement. |
| Rural Roads | Last-mile connectivity; often developed under schemes like PMGSY. |
Historical Evolution: The Nagpur Plan (1943)
This was India’s first scientific road development plan. It proposed:
- A coordinated grid of roads,
- Standardized road widths,
- And an all-India road network blueprint.
But this plan had a big problem: India was still divided between princely states and British-controlled areas—coordination failed.
After independence, a 20-year road plan (1961) was launched, and this formed the base of modern Indian road development.
Grand Trunk (GT) Road
Let’s look at one of India’s oldest and most legendary roads:
- Originally built by Sher Shah Suri and called the Shahi (Royal) Road, it connected:
- Indus Valley (Pakistan) to the Sonar Valley (Bengal).
- Under British rule, it was renamed Grand Trunk Road, and its alignment was refined.
- Today, this road extends from Amritsar to Kolkata.
Think of it as India’s oldest National Highway, carrying the legacy of empires.
National Highways: Strategic and Economic Significance
National Highways are the backbone of India’s road network. They:
- Are constructed and maintained by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
- Connect major cities, state capitals, ports, and railway junctions.
- Facilitate defence movement—an often overlooked but important strategic point for UPSC.
Growth Story:
- 2014: 91,287 km
- 2023: 1,46,145 km
➡ A 60% increase in under a decade!
But here’s a curious fact:
- National Highways account for just 1.67% of the total road length, yet they carry 40% of the road traffic.
That tells you why these roads are critical, despite being few in number.
Highway Numbering System: A Logical Reform
Earlier, highway numbering was quite random. To correct this, a systematic highway numbering system was introduced in 2010.
Let’s break it down:
✅ East to West Highways:
- Even numbers
- Numbers increase as you go from North-East to North-West.
- Example: NH-2 is in the NE states, NH-68 is in Rajasthan.
✅ North to South Highways:
- Odd numbers
- Numbers increase as you go from North to South.
- Example: NH-1 is in J&K, NH-87 in Tamil Nadu.
So if someone tells you they’re on NH-27, you already know it’s an East-West highway somewhere mid-India.
Subsidiary Highways (Three-Digit Highways)
Now let’s talk about the branches—the smaller but important offshoots of main highways.
- Highways with three-digit numbers are subsidiary or spur highways.
- They branch off from a main NH.
- Example: NH-144, NH-244, and NH-344 all branch off from NH-44.
How to decode them?
| Digit Position | Significance |
| First digit | Direction: Odd = East-West, Even = North-South |
| Letter suffix | Sections or sub-branches (like NH-144A, 144B…) |
This makes the system scientific, predictable, and mappable.
🔑 Quick Revision: Key Points to Remember
- India has the 2nd largest road network globally.
- Roads handle 85% passengers and 70% freight—they’re the real workhorses.
- National Highways: 1.67% of roads, 40% of traffic—maximum utility in minimum space.
- Numbering pattern: Even = E-W; Odd = N-S. Three-digit = branch highways.
- GT Road is a historical gem still alive in modern infrastructure.
Important National Highways of India – Strategic, Economic, Cultural
After understanding the classification and numbering of roads, let’s now go deeper into some important National Highways (NHs) that UPSC frequently touches—especially in Geography GS.
We’ll approach this through five thematic categories.
1. Highways of Strategic Importance (Especially Border Regions)
In India’s sensitive border zones, highways are more than just transport routes — they are lifelines for defense, diplomacy, and disaster response. Let’s decode some key ones:
| Highway | Route | Purpose/Region |
|---|---|---|
| NH 1 | Uri → Baramulla → Srinagar → Kargil → Leh | J&K–Ladakh route; military strategic |
| NH 301 | Kargil (NH1) to Zanskar | Remote area of Ladakh; critical for hinterland access |
| NH 701 | Baramulla (NH1) to Tangdhar | Touches LOC-adjacent Tangdhar |
| NH 3 | Atari (Indo-Pak border) → Amritsar → Mandi → Manali → Leh | Western strategic access route |
| NH 5 | Chandigarh → HP → Shipkila (Indo-Tibet border) | Trans-Himalayan route (China border) |
| NH 102 | Imphal → Moreh (Myanmar border) | Crucial for India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway |
| NH 10 | Indo-Bangladesh border → Gangtok (Sikkim) | For Northeast to international access |
| NH 7 | Fazilka → Rishikesh → Devprayag → Badrinath → Mana | Connects religious + Himalayan border towns |
| NH 44 | Srinagar → Kanyakumari | Longest NH in India (3,745 km); cuts across 11 states |
These are not just roads—they’re strategic threads binding India from borders to the hinterland.
2. Highways Connecting North-East India (NE Integration Focus)
The North-East, once seen as “distant,” is now being woven into the national mainstream via highway expansion. These NHs aim at connectivity, security, and integration.
| Highway | States Covered |
|---|---|
| NH 2 | Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram |
| NH 6 | Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram |
| NH 8 | Assam → Tripura → Indo-Bangladesh border |
| NH 13 | Arunachal Pradesh: Tawang → Bomdila → Ziro → Pasighat |
| NH 15 | Assam, Arunachal |
| NH 27* | Assam → WB → Bihar → UP → MP → Rajasthan → Gujarat |
*East-West Corridor (EW)
The NE region isn’t just geopolitically sensitive—it’s strategically vital. These roads are corridors of integration.
3. Island Connectivity
| NH 4 | Connects Port Blair with other parts of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. |
Even in the ocean, India ensures strategic mobility, including in Indo-Pacific vision.
4. Golden Quadrilateral Highways (Economic Corridors)
These are economic arteries—high-speed, 4/6 lane highways connecting the four biggest metros.
- Length: 5,846 km
- Connects: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata
- States Covered: 13
➡️ Purpose: To reduce time, cost, and fuel consumption between India’s top economic centers.
| Route | Highway |
|---|---|
| Delhi → Kolkata | NH19 |
| Kolkata to Chennai | NH 16 |
| Chennai to Mumbai | NH 48 |
| Mumbai to Delhi | NH 48 |
These are not just roads—they are India’s golden economic spine. Faster trade, lower logistics cost, and efficient supply chains.
5. Religious and Heritage Routes
Some NHs carry more than vehicles—they carry faith, culture, and history.
🕉️| NH 34 | Starts from Gangotri Dham; traverses MP, UP, Uttarakhand |
☸️| NH 13 | Also touches Tawang – a key Buddhist pilgrimage zone |
India’s highway planning respects both modern commerce and civilizational routes.
🏛️ National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
Let’s now meet the institutional muscle behind NH development.
- Created: By Act of Parliament (1988)
- Became functional: 1995
- Ministry: Road Transport and Highways
✳️ Roles:
- Development, maintenance, and operation of NHs
- Implementing large projects like NHDP
- Ensuring quality standards of road infrastructure
🛣️ National Highways Development Project (NHDP)
Think of NHDP as India’s largest road transformation program.
- Launched: 1998
- Executing Agency: NHAI
- Goal: 4/6-laning of 13,150 km of National Highways
🔄 NHDP: Seven Phases of Modernization
| Phase | Focus |
|---|---|
| Phase I | Golden Quadrilateral (GQ), and N–S, E–W Corridors |
| Phase II | Continued N–S and E–W Corridors |
| Phase III | 4-laning of high-density NHs: tourist, economic hubs |
| Phase IV | Upgrade single-lane to two-lane with shoulders |
| Phase V | 6-laning of already 4-lane highways |
| Phase VI | Expressways connecting industrial towns |
| Phase VII | Flyovers, underpasses, bypasses, ring roads |
NHDP = Road revolution. From city to village, industrial town to pilgrimage spot — it’s a pan-India logistics upgrade.
🌐 North-South and East-West Corridors
| Corridor | Route | Length |
|---|---|---|
| North-South (NS) | Srinagar → Kanyakumari (+ Kochi-Salem spur) | 4,076 km |
| East-West (EW) | Silchar (Assam) → Porbandar (Gujarat) | 3,640 km |
These two intersect at Jhansi (UP)—a symbolic and literal centre of India’s road vision.
Other Roads & Contemporary Road Development Initiatives
In earlier parts, we discussed National Highways — the central spine of India’s road network. Now, we zoom into the remaining 98% of the road system, which may not be “national” in status but are equally crucial for connectivity, security, development, and integration.
1. State Highways (SHs)
“If NHs are national arteries, SHs are state arteries — they connect the heart to the limbs.”
- Constructed & maintained by State Governments.
- Connect state capitals with district HQs and major towns.
- Make up 4% of India’s total road length → ~1,86,908 km.
➡️ SHs form the second-tier backbone of the road hierarchy — below NHs but above district roads.
2. District Roads
- These connect district HQs with important locations within the district (markets, towns, etc.).
- They account for 14% of India’s total road length.
- Often managed by Zila Parishads or PWDs (Public Works Departments).
Important from a rural economy perspective — linking mandis, health centres, and educational institutions.
3. Rural Roads
“A road to the village is a road to development.”
- 80% of India’s road length is rural — this reflects India’s village-centric geography.
- Rural road density varies with terrain (hilly, forested, desert → lower density).
🔹 Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)
- Objective: All-season connectivity to every village.
- Implemented by Ministry of Rural Development.
- Boosts social integration, economic mobility, and access to services.
4. Border Roads
These are India’s geo-strategic lifelines — defending terrain is impossible without reaching it first.
🔸 BRO – Border Roads Organisation
- Established: 1960, under Ministry of Defence.
- Task: Construct & maintain strategic roads in border areas.
- Statutory status with high-level governance via Border Roads Development Board (BRDB):
- Chairman: Prime Minister
- Deputy Chairman: Defence Minister
🔹 Key Functions:
- Construction in high-altitude, snow-prone, difficult terrains.
- Maintains roads in border states + friendly nations (e.g. Bhutan, Myanmar).
- Example: Road from Chandigarh–Manali–Leh (avg. elevation: 4,270 m AMSL).
- Snow clearance is a critical responsibility for troop movement.
5. International Highways
These are roads that cross national borders.
- Developed through bilateral/multilateral agreements.
- Example: India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway (Imphal–Moreh–Myanmar section via NH-102).
6. Road Density: Indicator of Infrastructure Penetration
- Definition: Length of roads per 100 sq. km of area.
- National Average: 142.68 km/100 sq. km
- Highest: Kerala – 517.77 km
- Lowest: Jammu & Kashmir – 12.14 km
➡️ Reflects terrain, economic development, and policy attention.
🇮🇳 Contemporary Road Infrastructure Missions
A. Bharatmala Pariyojana
“India’s next-generation highway blueprint.”
- Launched: 2017
- Type: Umbrella highway development project
- Implemented by: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH)
🔹 Phase I:
- Target: 34,800 km of highways
- Focus: Fill critical connectivity gaps & improve logistics efficiency
🔹 Phase II:
- Adds 5,000 km of access-controlled expressways
🔹 Components:
- Corridor-based development for seamless connectivity
- Special projects: Setu Bharatam (bridges, overbridges):
- 1,500 major bridges
- 200 ROBs (Rail Over Bridges) & RUBs (Rail Under Bridges)
Bharatmala = “National Highway Grid 2.0” — economic, efficient, and expansionary.
B. Multi-Modal Logistics Parks (MMLPs)
“Where roads, rails, ports, and airways meet – India’s logistics reimagined.”
- Implemented under Bharatmala by MoRTH
- Aim:
- Lower freight costs,
- Reduce pollution,
- Cut warehousing costs
- Direct connectivity with rail, road, air, waterways
🌍 Highlights:
- First MMLP: Foundation stone in Assam
- Phase I target: 35 MMLPs
- Port city MMLPs: Mumbai, Chennai, Cochin, Kandla, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam
India’s logistics sector is 5X costlier than China — MMLPs are a key solution.
C. Green National Highway Corridor Project (GNHCP)
“A sustainable future on wheels.”
- Supported by: World Bank
- Total Length: 781 km
- States: HP, Rajasthan, UP, Andhra Pradesh
Objectives:
- Green and climate-resilient roads
- Use of eco-friendly construction materials
- Reduce vehicular emissions
- Enhance safety and roadside plantation
🌿 Related: National Green Highways Mission (NGHM)
- Launched under Green Highways Policy, 2015
- Focus on planting trees along highways
For UPSC Mains: Use GNHCP as an eco-infrastructure case study in GS-3.