A

Seminar Report

On

“Development and Construction of National Highways in India”

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

of B. Tech. in Civil Engineering

Submitted By: Guided By:

 DILEEP SINGH Mr. R.P.VISHNOI

RTU Roll No- 15EMVCE010 Head of Department
Civil Engineering
Designation

Submitted To

Head of Department, Civil Engineering

Mahaveer Institute of Technology & Science

(Rajasthan Technical University, Kota)

2019

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Seminar entitled ―Development and Construction of National
Highways in India” is submitted by DILEEP SINGH (ROLL NO. 15EMVCE010) in partial
fulfillment of the requirement of Seminar embodies the work done by student under my
supervision.

Signature of the Student Signature

Name: DILEEP SINGH Name: Mr. R.P. VISHNOI
Designation: HOD, CIVIL DEPT.

Date:

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 Candidate’s Declaration

I declare that the work presented in this project titled ―DEVELOPMENT AND
CONSTRUCTION OF NATIONAL HIGHWAYS IN INDIA‖ submitted to the Faculty of
Engineering & Technology, MAHAVEER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE,
JADAN, Bareilly for the award of the Bachelor of Technology degree in CIVIL
ENGINEERING, is my original work. I have not plagiarized or submitted the same work for
the award of any other degree.

YEAR: 2019 (SIGNATURE)

PLACE: - PALI Student’s Name: DILEEP SINGH

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

With deep reverence and profound gratitude, we express sincere thanks to Mr. R.P. VISHNOI
HOD of Civil Department of MAHAVEER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND
SCIENCE JADAN (PALI) for his valuable guidance, incessant encouragement and positive
criticism throughout the period of seminar.
Words can hardly express the sense of reverence for to Mr. R.P. Vishnoi ,Mr. Harish
Amarnani , Mr. Lakhapat Machara, Mr. Sunil Chhagani , Mr. Rajesh Malaviya forinfusing
encouragement to proceed for my technical knowledge.
Author acknowledges the immense help received from the scholars whose articles are mentioned
and included in reference of this review paper. I am also grateful to authors/editors/publishers of
all those journals and articles from where the literature of this article has been reviewed and
discussed.

Date: 9 March, 2019

BY:

DILEEP SINGH

(Roll No.: 15EMVCE010)

8TH SEMESTER, CIVIL DEPT.

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Contents
CERTIFICATE ............................................................................................................................... 2
Candidate’s Declaration .................................................................................................................. 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................................................. 4
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Literature Review............................................................................................................................ 9
1. Transportation ........................................................................................................................ 11
1.1. Transportation System: .................................................................................................. 11
1.2. Transportation Engineering: ........................................................................................... 12
2. History of Road Transport in India........................................................................................ 14
3. Roads Development Plans in India By British Rulers ........................................................... 15
4. Road Transportation System: ................................................................................................ 16
5. Classification or Types of Roads ........................................................................................... 16
5.1. Types of Roads Based on Materials: .............................................................................. 16
5.2. Types of Roads Based on Location and Function .......................................................... 20
5.3. Types of Roads Based on Traffic Volume ..................................................................... 22
5.4. Types of Roads Based on Economy............................................................................... 22
5.5. Types of Roads Based on Traffic Type .......................................................................... 23
5.6. Types of Roads Based on Rigidity ................................................................................. 23
5.7. Types of Roads Based on Topography .......................................................................... 24
6. Road Development Plans after Independency: ...................................................................... 25
6.1. Jayakar Committee: ........................................................................................................ 25
6.2. Indian Road Congress (IRC): ......................................................................................... 26
6.3. CRRI or Central Road Research Institute: ..................................................................... 28
6.4. Nagpur Road Plan: ......................................................................................................... 29
6.5. Bombay Road Plan: ........................................................................................................ 30
6.6. Lucknow Road Plan: ...................................................................................................... 31
6.7. Central Road Funds (CRF): ........................................................................................... 31
7. ROAD DEVELOPMEMNT GOVERNING AUTHORITIES IN INDIA : ......................... 33

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 7.1. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH): ................................................. 33
7.2. NHAI: ............................................................................................................................. 34
7.3. NHDP: ............................................................................................................................ 34
8. National Highways in India ................................................................................................... 38
9. Expressways in India: ............................................................................................................ 42
10. Design Procedure of Construction of Highways: .............................................................. 44
10.1. Planning:......................................................................................................................... 44
10.2. Design: ........................................................................................................................ 49
 Geometric design: .............................................................................................................. 49
 Materials ............................................................................................................................ 50
 Drainage system design: .................................................................................................... 51
 Subbase course construction .............................................................................................. 52
 Base course construction.................................................................................................... 53
 Surface course construction ............................................................................................... 53
 Hot-mix asphalt (HMA) layers .......................................................................................... 53
10.3. Highway maintenance: ............................................................................................... 54
10.4. Highway safety: .......................................................................................................... 54
11. Efforts in India to address issues related to road network: ................................................ 55
12. Conclusion: ........................................................................................................................ 57
13. Reference: .......................................................................................................................... 57

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 List of Tables:

Table 1 Growth of Road Network ...........................................................................26

Table 2 Roadways in India ......................................................................................34
Table 3 NHDP Schedule and Estimated Cost ..........................................................35
Table 4 Timeline of the National Highways Development Projects Phases ...........37
Table 5 List of National Highways in India ............................................................41
Table 6 Expressways in India ..................................................................................43

List of Figures:

Figure 1 Earthen Roads ............................................................................................................... 17

Figure 2 Gravel Road .................................................................................................................. 17
Figure 3 Murram Road.................................................................................................................. 18
Figure 4 Kankar Road ................................................................................................................... 18
Figure 5 WBM Road ..................................................................................................................... 19
Figure 6 Bituminous Road ............................................................................................................ 19
Figure 7 Concrete Roads ............................................................................................................... 20
Figure 8 National Highways ......................................................................................................... 20
Figure 9 State Highways ............................................................................................................... 21
Figure 10 District Roads ............................................................................................................... 21
Figure 11 Rural Roads .................................................................................................................. 22
Figure 12 Pavement Layout .......................................................................................................... 24
Figure 13 Hill Roads ..................................................................................................................... 24
Figure 14 NH layout ..................................................................................................................... 38
Figure 15 National Highways Map ............................................................................................... 41
Figure 16 Yamuna Expressways Delhi ........................................................................................ 42
Figure 17 Embankment Widening Procedure ............................................................................... 46
Figure 18 Embankment ................................................................................................................. 47

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 Abstract

Road transport is one of the most common modes of transport. Roads in the form of track ways,
human pathways etc. were used even from the pre-historic times. Since then many experiments
were going on to make the riding safe and comfort. Thus road construction became an
inseparable part of many civilizations and empires. In this chapter we will see the different
generations of road and their characteristic features. Also we will discuss about the highway
planning in India. History of highway engineering the history of highway engineering gives us
an idea about the roads of ancient times. Roads in Rome were constructed in a large scale and it
radiated in many directions helping them in military operations. Thus they are considered to be
pioneers in road construction. In this section we will see in detail about Ancient roads, Roman
roads, British roads, French roads etc. This study comprises about the development of the roads
from rural roads to the national highways of two to twelve lines in the developing India since
Independency.

National highways in India are developed in ancient time by British rulers but not at a big scale
but after independency Indian Government focused on the development of new planned
roadways for economic development of the nation.

India has a road network of over 5,903,293 kilometres (3,668,136 mi) as on 31 March 2019, the
second largest road network in the world. At 1.70 km of roads per square kilometre of land, the
quantitative density of India's road network is higher than that of Japan (0.91) and the United
States (0.989888) to, and far higher than that of China (0.46), Brazil (0.18) or Russia (0.08).
Adjusted for its large population, India has approximately 4.63 km of roads per 1000 people.
However, qualitatively India's roads are a mix of modern highways and narrow, unpaved roads,
and are being improved. As on 31 March 2016, 62.5% of Indian roads were paved.

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 Literature Review
Mobility is a basic human need. From the times immemorial, everyone travels either for food or
leisure. A closely associated need is the transport of raw materials to a manufacturing unit or
finished goods for consumption. Transportation fulfills these basic needs of humanity.
Transportation plays a major role in the development of the human civilization. For instance, one
could easily observe the strong correlation between the evolution of human settlement and the
proximity of transport facilities. Also, there is a strong correlation between the quality of
transport facilities and standard of living, because of which society places a great expectation
from transportation facilities. In other words, the solution to transportation problems must be
analytically based, economically sound, socially credible, environmentally sensitive, practically
acceptable and sustainable. Alternatively, the transportation solution should be safe, rapid,
comfortable, convenient, economical, and ecofriendly for both men and material.

The first evidence of road development in the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to
approximately 2800 BC from the ancient cities of Harrapa and Mohenjodaro of the Indus Valley
Civilization. Ruling emperors and monarchs of ancient India had constructed roads to connect
the cities. Archaeological excavations give us fresh information about road connectivity in
ancient India. The Grand Trunk Road was built by the Mauryan Empire and expanded over many
different dynasties until being completely revived by Emperor Sher Shah Suri in 1540-45
connecting Sonargaon near Dhaka in Bangladesh with Peshawar in modern-day Pakistan linking
several cities from in India. It was also further expanded by the Mughal Empire.

In the 1830s the East India Company started a programme of metalled road construction, for both
commercial and administrative purposes. The Grand trunk road, from Calcutta, through Delhi to
Peshawar was rebuilt at a cost of £1000 / mile, roads from Bombay to Pune Camp, Bombay to
Agra, and Bombay to Madras, were constructed, and a Public Works Department, and the Indian
Institute of Technology Roorkee founded, to train and employ local surveyors, engineers,
andoverseers, to perform the work, and maintain the roads. The programme resulted in an
estimated 2,500 km (1,600 miles) of metalled roads being constructed by the 1850s.

In December 1934 the Indian Road Congress (IRC) was formed, on the recommendations of the
Indian Road Development Committee (Jayakar Committee) of the Government of India. They
proposed a twenty-year plan, in 1943, to increase the road network from 350,000 km (220,000

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miles), to 532,700 km (331,000 miles) by 1963, to achieve a road density of 16 km, per 100 km2
of land. The construction was to be paid in part through the duty imposed, since 1939, on petrol
sales, and became known as the Nagpur Plan. The construction target was achieved in the late
1950s.

In 1956 a Highways Act was passed, and a second twenty-year plan proposed for the period
1961-1981, with the ambition of doubling road density to 32 km, per 100 km2. This second plan
became known as the Bombay Road Plan.

India inherited a poor road network infrastructure at the time of its independence in 1947.
Beyond that, between 1947 and 1988, India witnessed no new major projects, and the roads were
poorly maintained. Predominantly all roads were single lane, and most were unpaved. India had
no expressways, and less than 200 kilometers of 4-lane highways.

In 1988, an autonomous entity called the National Highways Authority of India was established
in India by an Act of Parliament, and came into existence on 15 June 1989. The Act empowered
this entity to develop, maintain and manage India's road network through National Highways.
However, even though the Authority was created in 1988, not much happened till India
introduced widespread economic liberalization in the early 1990s. Since 1995, the authority has
privatized road network development in India.

One of the most ambitious projects to improve roads in India was under the National Highways
Development Project (NHDP) started in the year 1998 by then Prime Minister AtalBihari
Vajpayee. The flagship project of the NHDP is the Golden Quadrilateral, a total of 5,846 km
long 4/6 laned highways connecting the four major cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and
Kolkata. Total cost of the project is Rs.300 billion (US$6.8 billion), funded largely by the
government’s special petroleum product tax revenues and government borrowing. In January
2012, India announced the four-lane GQ highway network as complete.

Another important road project is the 7,142 km long 4/6 laned North–South and East–West
Corridor comprising national highways connecting four extreme points of the country. The
North–South and East–West Corridor connects Srinagar in the north to Kanyakumari in the
south, including spur from Salem to Kanyakumari (via Coimbatore and Kochi) and Silchar in the
east to Porbandar in the west. As of 31 October 2016, 90.99% of the project had been completed,

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5.47% of the project work is under Implementation and 3.52% of the total length is left.[19] As
of May 2017, under NHDP about 28,915 kilometers of 4/6 lane highways has been constructed
(including the GQ and E-W/N-S Corridor), while a total of 48,793 km of road has been planned
to be 4/6 laned under the NHDP.

1. Transportation
Transport or transportation is the movement of humans, animals and goods from one location to
another. In other words the action of transport is defined as a particular movement of an
organism or thing from a point A to the Point B. Modes of transport includes air, land (rail and
road), water, cable, pipeline and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles and
operations. Transport is important because it enables trade between people, which is essential for
the development of civilizations. Transport infrastructure consists of the fixed installations,
including roads, railways, airways, waterways, canals and pipelines and terminals such as
airports, railway stations, bus stations, warehouses.

1.1. Transportation System:

In the last couple of decades transportation systems analysis has emerged as a recognized
profession. More and more government organizations, universities, researchers, consultants, and
private industrial groups around the world are becoming truly multi-modal in their orientation
and The first step in formulation of a system analysis of transportation system is to examine the
scope of analytical work. The basic premise is the explicit treatment of the total transportation
system of region and the interrelations between the transportation and socioeconomic context are
opting a systematic approach to transportation problems.

Modes of Transportation:

a) Airways
b) Roadways
c) Waterways
d) Pipelines

Description:

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a) Airways: Transportation by air is the fastest mode of transportation. Air transport provides
more comfortable and fast travel resulting in substantial saving in travel time for the
passengers between the airports.asystem of air transportation in which local airports offer air
transportation to a central airport where long-distance flights are available. Type of: transit,
transportation, transportation system. a facility consisting of the means and equipment
necessary for the movement of passengers or goods.

b) Roadways:Transportation by road system is the only mode of transportation which could

give maximum flexibility of services from origin to destination to one and all.Road transport
or road transportation is a type of transport by using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly
grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries
licensing requirements and safety regulations ensure a separation of the two industries.

c) Waterways: Transportation by water offers minimum resistance to traction and therefore

needs minimum energy to haul unit load through unit distance. The amount of energy
required to propel a vessel on water is much lesser than that required on land. Water
transportation is the intentional movement of water over large distances. Methods of
transportation fall into three categories: Aqueducts, which include pipelines, canals, and
tunnels. Container shipment, which includes transport by tank truck, tank car, and tank ship.

d) Pipelines: Pipeline transport is the mode of transportation of goods or material through a

pipe. Liquids and gases are transported in pipelines and any chemically stable substance can
be sent through a pipeline Pipelines exist for the transport of crude and refined petroleum,
fuels - such as oil, natural gas and biofuels.

1.2. Transportation Engineering:

Transportation engineering or transport engineering is
the application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional design,
operation and management of facilities for any mode of transportation in order to provide for the
safe, efficient, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and environmentally compatible
movement of people and goods transport.

Major disciplines of Transportation:

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Transportation engineering can be broadly consisting of the four major parts:

1. Transportation Planning

2. Geometric Design

3. Pavement Design

4. Traffic Engineering

Description:

a) Transportation Planning:
Transportation planning essentially involves the development of a transport model which will
accurately represent both the current as well as future transportation system.
b) Geometric design:
Geometric design deals with physical proportioning of other transportation facilities, in
contrast with the structural design of the facilities. The topics include the cross-sectional
features, horizontal alignment, verticalalignment and intersections. Although there are
several modes of travel like road, rail, air, etc..the underlying principles are common to a
great extent. Therefore emphasis will be normally given for the geometric design of roads.
c) Pavement analysis and design:
Pavement design deals with the structural design of roads, both (bituminous and concrete),
commonly known as (flexible pavements and rigid pavements) respectively. It deals with the
design of paving materials, determination of the layer thickness, and construction and
maintenance procedures. The design mainly covers structural aspects, functional aspects,
drainage. Structural design ensures the pavement has enough strength to withstand the impact
of loads, functional design emphasizes on the riding quality, and the drainage design protects
the pavement from damage due to water infiltration.
d) Traffic engineering:
Traffic engineering covers a broad range of engineering applications with a focus on the
safety of the public, the efficient use of transportation resources, and the mobility of people
and goods. Traffic engineering involves a variety of engineering and management skills,
including design, operation, and system optimization.

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 2. History of Road Transport in India
The origin of roads dates back to the period before the advent of recorded history. With the
desire tp hunt the animals for food the ancient men began to make pathways and tracks to
facilitate his movements. As civilization advanced the growth of agriculture took place and
human settlements began to be formed. From one settlement to another the tracks were formed.
These tracks were might have been skeletal framework of modern highways.

The next major event of revolutionaries transport was the invention of the wheel in
Mesopotamia. Man soon saw the advantageof joining two wheels with axle and then began to
make two wheelers & four wheelers. The art of road building soon began with the need to
provide a hard durable surface to withstand the abrading effect of wheels.

The first evidence of road development in the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to
approximately 2800 BC from the ancient cities of Harrapa and Mohenjodaro of the Indus Valley
Civilization. Ruling emperors and monarchs of ancient India had constructed roads to connect
the cities. Archaeological excavations give us fresh information about road connectivity in
ancient India. The Grand Trunk Road was built by the Mauryan Empire and expanded over many
different dynasties until being completely revived by Emperor Sher Shah Suri in 1540-45
connecting Sonargaon near Dhaka in Bangladesh with Peshawar in modern-day Pakistan linking
several cities from in India. It was also further expanded by the Mughal Empire

Excavations in the sites of Indus valley, Mohenjo-daro and Harappan civilizations revealed the
existence of planned roads in India as old as 2500-3500 BC. The Mauryan kings also built very
good roads. Ancient books like Arthashastra written by Kautilya, a great administrator of the
Mauryan times, contained rules for regulating traffic, depths of roads for various purposes, and
punishments for obstructing traffic. During the time of Mughal period, roads in India were
greatly improved. Roads linking North-West and the Eastern areas through gangetic plains were
built during this time. They recognize the need of good roadsas their empire extended almost
over the entire subcontinent. After the fall of the Mughals and at the beginning of British rule,
many existing roads were improved. The construction of Grand-Trunk road connecting North
and South is a major contribution of the British. However, the focus was later shifted to railways,
except for feeder roads to important stations.

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 3. Roads Development Plans in India By British Rulers

The period covering the decline of the Mughals and the beginning of the British rule was the
period of neglect of the road system in india. The early British interest was only in maintaining
the roads of military importance and dire administrative requirements. William Bentinck took
steps to build the modern Grand trunk road from Calcutta to Delhi, generally along Shershah’s
alignment, but with permanent bridges and good stone or Kankar bed. The road was later on
extended to Peshawar. Lord Dalhousie gave further impetus to road building by organizing the
provisional PWD’s in place of military boards in 1885. Engineering colleges were established to
train civil engineers. The important roads were provided with the metaled beds and were bridged.
Specifications were framed for the construction of roads. by the end of nineteenth century, these
efforts had resulted in the establishment of a good system of trunk roads in country.

In the 1830s the East India Company started a programme of metalled road construction, for both
commercial and administrative purposes. The Grand trunk road, from Calcutta, through Delhi to
Peshawar was rebuilt at a cost of £1000 / mile, roads from Bombay to Pune Camp, Bombay to
Agra, and Bombay to Madras, were constructed, and a Public Works Department, and the Indian
Institute of Technology Roorkee founded, to train and employ local surveyors, engineers, and
overseers, to perform the work, and maintain the roads. The programme resulted in an estimated
2,500 km (1,600 miles) of metalled roads being constructed by the 1850.

A set back to the rapid development of the road system was the introduction of the railways. The
first railways line was opened in 1853 in Bombay and in the immediate decades to follow the
railway network was rapidly extended to penetrate the entire country. The railways were owned
and operated buy the British companies the railways served to carry the raw materials from
interior of the country to the major ports for shipment to the newly established industries in
Britain. The improvement of the roads was confined only to feeder roads that led to and
supported the railways. With the transfer of the most of the responsibilities for road work to the
local governments in the middle of the nineteenth century.

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 4. Road Transportation System:

Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport by using roads. Transport on roads
can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many
countries licensing requirements and safety regulations ensure a separation of the two industries.
Movement along roads may be by bike or automobile, truck, or by animal such as horse or oxen.
Standard networks of roads were adopted by Romans, Persians, Aztec, and other early empires,
and may be regarded as a feature of empires. Cargo may be transported by trucking companies,
while passengers may be transported via mass transit. Commonly defined features of modern
roads include defined lanes and signage. Within the United States, roads between regions are
connected via the Interstate Highway System.

5. Classification or Types of Roads

 The roads are classified based on many factors as follows.

 Materials
 Location & function
 Traffic volume
 Width
 Economy
 Traffic type
 Rigidity
 Topography

5.1. Types of Roads Based on Materials:

 Earthen roads
 Gravel roads
 Murrum roads
 Kankar roads
 WBM roads
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  Bituminous roads
 Concrete roads

a. Earthen Roads

Earthen roads are laid with soil. They are cheaper of all types of roads. This type of road is
provided for less traffic areas and or for countryside areas. Good drainage system should be
required which reflects good performance for longer period

Figure 1 Earthen Roads

b. Gravel Roads

Gravel roads are also low quality roads but they are good when compared to earthen roads.
Compacted mixture of gravel and
earth is used as pavement material
in this

Figure 2 Gravel Road

c. Murrum Roads

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Murrum is a matter obtained from the disintegration of igneous rocks by weathering agencies.
This is used to make roads called as murrum roads.

Figure 3 Murram Road

d. Kankar Roads

Kankar is nothing but impure form of lime stone. Kankar roads are provided where lime is
available in good quantity. These are also low quality and performance wise they are similar to
gravel andmurrum roads.

Figure 4 Kankar Road

e. WBM Roads

Water Bound Macadam (WBM) roads contain crushed stone aggregate in its base course. The
aggregates are spread on the surface and these are rolled after sprinkling water.

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WBM roads provides better performance compared to earthen, gravel, murrum and kankar roads.

WBM roads are laid as layers about 10cm thickness of each layer. They are very rough and may
disintegrate immediately under traffic

Figure 5 WBM Road

f. Bituminous Roads: Bituminous roads are very popular roads around the world. They
are most used roads in the world. They are low in cost and good for driving conditions.
They are flexible and thickness of bituminous roads depends upon the subgrade soil
conditions.

Figure 6 Bituminous Road

g. Concrete Roads

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Cement concrete is used to construct the pavements in case of concrete roads. These are very
popular and costlier than all other types of roads. They are not flexible so, they require less
maintenance.

Concrete roads are suitable for high traffic areas. Concrete roads are laid with joints and time of
construction is more.

Figure 7 Concrete Roads

5.2. Types of Roads Based on Location and Function

 National highways
 State highways
 District roads
 Rural or Village Roads

a. National Highways

National highways are main roads of a particular country. They connects all major cities to the
capital of the country. They run throughout the length and breadth of the country. Minimum two
lane road is provided for national highways.

Figure 8 National Highways

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 b. State Highways

State highways are second main roads which connect major parts of state with in it. State
highway ultimately connects to the national highways.

Figure 9 State Highways

c. District Roads

District roads are provided with in the cities and connects markets and production places to state
and national highways. Two types of district roads are there namely,

 Major district roads

 Minor district roads

Major district roads connect headquarters of neighboring district with main parts of district while
minor district roads are laid with in the district.

Figure 10 District Roads

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 d. Rural Roads or Village Roads

Village roads connects the nearby villages with each other. They lead to nearby town or district
roads. Usually low quality roads are provided as village roads because of low traffic.

Figure 11 Rural Roads

5.3. Types of Roads Based on Traffic Volume

 Light traffic roads

 Medium traffic roads
 High traffic roads

a. Light Traffic Roads

The roads which are carrying 400 vehicles daily on an average is called light traffic roads.

b. Medium Traffic Roads

If a road carrying 400 to 1000 vehicles per day then it is said to be medium traffic road.

c. High Traffic Roads

If a road is carrying is more than 1000 vehicles per day then it is considered as high traffic road.

5.4. Types of Roads Based on Economy

 Low cost roads

 Medium cost roads
 High cost roads

The economy depend upon the location and function of roads and also on the traffic analysis.

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5.5. Types of Roads Based on Traffic Type

 Pedestrian ways
 Cycle tracks
 Motorways

a. Pedestrian Ways

Pedestrian ways are exclusively built for pedestrians and no vehicles are permitted in this way.

b. Cycle Tracks

Cycle tracks or bicycle tracks are provided on both sides of pavement for cyclists hence they can
travel safely.

c. Motorways

Motorways are also known as expressways. Only few vehicles are accessible to use this type of
roads. The vehicles which can move with high speed acceleration are permitted into this way.
Motorways make travel quick and provide comfort for high speed vehicles.

5.6. Types of Roads Based on Rigidity

 Flexible roads
 Rigid roads

a. Flexible Roads

Flexible roads consists flexible layer as pavement surface which require good maintenance
otherwise it can be disintegrated easily with heavy traffic. All types of roads except concrete
roads are come under this category.

b. Rigid Roads

Rigid pavements are non-flexible and cement concrete roads are come under this category.

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 Figure 12 Pavement Layout

5.7. Types of Roads Based on Topography

 Plain area road

 Hilly area roads

a. Plain Area Road

The roads constructed on leveled surface are known as plain area roads.

b. Hilly Area Roads

Roads constructed in hilly regions are called as hill area roads or ghat roads. Generally these are
provided around the hill in spiral shape.

Figure 13 Hill Roads

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 6. Road Development Plans after Independency:

6.1. Jayakar Committee:

The First World War period and that immediately following it found a rapid growth in motor
transport. So need for better roads became a necessity. For that, the Government of India
appointed a committee called Road development Committee with Mr.M.R. Jayakar as the
chairman. This committee came to be known as Jayakar committee.

In 1927 Jayakar committee for Indian road development was appointed. The major
recommendations and the resulting implementations were:

Following Points were implemented as:

a) Committee found that the road development of the country has become beyond the capacity
of local governments and suggested that Central government should take the proper charge
considering it as a matter of national interest.

b) They gave more stress on long term planning programme, for a period of 20 years (hence
called twenty year plan) that is to formulate plans and implement those plans within the next
20 years.
c) One of the recommendations was the holding of periodic road conferences to discuss about
road construction and development. This paved the way for the establishment of a semi-
official technical body called Indian Road Congress (IRC) in 1934.

d) The committee suggested imposition of additional taxation on motor transport which

includes duty on motor spirit, vehicle taxation, license fees for vehicles plying for hire. This
led to the introduction of a development fund called Central road fund in 1929. This fund
was intended for road development.

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Growth of Road Network by Categories (in kilometres)

Road
1950- 1960- 1970-
Categor 1980-81 1990-91 2000-01 2010-11 2015-16
51 61 71
y

National
19811 23798 23838 31671 33650 57737 70934 101011
Highway
(4.95) (4.54) (2.61) (2.13) (1.45) (1.71) (1.52) (1.80)
s

State
56765 94359 127311 132100 163898 176166
Highway ^ ^
(6.20) (6.35) (5.47) (3.92) (3.50) (3.14)
s

District 173723 257125 276833 421895 509435 736001 998895 561940

Roads (43.44) (49.02) (30.26) (28.40) (21.89) (21.82) (21.36) (10.03)

Rural 206408 197194 354530 628865 1260430 1972016 2749804 3935337

Roads (51.61) (37.60) (38.75) (42.34) (54.16) (58.46) (58.80) (70.23)

Urban 46361 72120 123120 186799 252001 411679 509730

0
Roads (8.84) (7.88) (8.29) (8.03) (7.47) (8.80) (9.10)

Project 130893 185511 209737 223665 281628 319109

0 0
Roads (14.31) (12.49) (9.01) (6.63) (6.02) (5.70)

399,94 524,47 914,97 1,485,42 2,327,36 3,373,52 4,676,83 5,603,29

Total
2 8 9 1 2 0 8 3

Figures in parenthesis indicate percent to total road length.

Table 1 Growth of Road Network

6.2. Indian Road Congress (IRC):

• Set up by Government of India in consultation with State Governments in December, 1934.

26 | P a g e
• Premier body of Highways Engineers in India, to provide a national forum for regular
pooling of experience and ideas on all matters concerned with planning, design construction
and maintenance of highways.
• It also recommends standard specifications and provides platform for the expression of
professional opinion on matters relating to roads.
• It is also publishing Journals, monthly magazines and research bulletins.
• IRC is a registered society under the Registration of Societies Act and is financed by
contribution from Central Government, various State Governments and also contributions
from its Members and sale of Publications.

• Today IRC has more than 15550 active members representing all Stakeholders from India
and abroad.
 IRC AS NATIONAL FORUM
• To promote and encourage the science and practice of building and maintenance of roads;
• To provide a channel for the expression of collective opinion of its members regarding
roads;
• To promote the use of standard specifications and to propose specifications to achieve safety
and mobility.
• To advise regarding education, experiment and research connected with roads.
• To hold periodical meetings, to discuss technical questions regarding roads.
• To suggest legislation for the development, improvement and protection of roads.
• To suggest improved methods of administration, planning, design, construction, operation,
use and maintenance of roads.
 IRC SPECTRUM OF ACTIVITIES:
• Publication of Standards relating to roads, viz. survey, investigation, equipment, design,
construction, environment, maintenance, geometrics, safety, road signage & technology.
• Publication of Standards, Specification and Codes of Practice on Bridges and also Guidelines
for their inspection, maintenance, testing and rating.
• Publication of Standards Plans and specifications of Ministry of Surface Transport (now
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways).

27 | P a g e
• Holding Annual Sessions, mid-term Council Meetings in order to discuss the road problems
and to take policy decisions.APEX COMMITTEES OF IRC There are three Apex
committees, which are responsible for formulation of Codes of Practices, Standards and
Guidelines.
i. Highways Specifications& Standards Committee (HSS)
ii. Bridges Specifications & Standards Committee (BSS)
iii. General Specifications & Standards Committee (GSS)

 IRC INITIATIVES:
• Roads to be considered as active infrastructure facility for people, for safety and services,
besides a catalyst in development of economy in place of passive approach of exclusivity.
• Synchronization with other sectors of the economy based on interdependent model, wherein
the need of safety of all stakeholders of highway sector is fulfilled through inclusive
approach.
• To propagate multi-modal transport concept while developing guidelines and codal
practices.
• A Pan India road safety programs with a theme on ―Road Safety- reaching to every
household in the country‖ has been conceptualized. This is a unique concept in which the
road safety good practices will reach to each household in the country through their own
children studying in the primary schools and each of the child will be an ambassador of road
safety in their house. In this unique process of road safety programme, the entire populace of
the country and all stakeholders will be involved in promoting the road safety efforts as well
as followance of road safety guidelines of IRC.

6.3. CRRI or Central Road Research Institute:

Central Road Research Institute or
CRRI established in 1952 is a constituent laboratory of India's Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research. The CRRI is located in New Delhi and conducts research and development
in the areas of design, construction, maintenance and management of roads and airport runways.
It also works in area of traffic and surface transportation planning.

28 | P a g e
6.4. Nagpur Road Plan:
The second World War saw a rapid growth in road traffic and this
led to the deterioration in the condition of roads. To discuss about improving the condition of
roads, the government convened a conference of chief engineers of provinces at Nagpur in 1943.
The result of the conference is famous as the Nagpur plan.

• A twenty year development programme for the period (1943-1963) was finalized. It was the
first attempt to prepare a co-ordinated road development programme in a planned manner.
• The roads were divided into four classes:
a) National highways which would pass through states, and places having national
importance for strategic, administrative and other purposes.
b) State highways which would be the other main roads of a state.
c) District roads which would take traffic from the main roads to the interior of the district .
According to the importance, some are considered as major district roads and the
remaining as other district roads.
d) Village roads which would link the villages to the road system.
• The committee planned to construct 2 lakh kms of road across the country within 20 years.
• They recommended the construction of star and grid pattern of roads throughout the
country.
• One of the objective was that the road length should be increased so as to give a road
density of 16kms per 100 sq.km

 Nagpur Road Classification:

In Nagpur road classification, all roads were classified into five categories as National highways,
State highways, Major district roads, Other district roads and village roads.

a) National highways

They are main highways running through the length and breadth of Indiaconnecting major ports ,
for eign highways, capitals of large states and large industrial and tourist centers including roads
required for strategic movements. It was recommended by Jayakar committee that the National
highways should be the frame on which the entire road communication should be based. All the

29 | P a g e
national highways are assigned the respective numbers. For e.g. the highway connecting Delhi-
Ambala-Amritsar is denoted as NH1 (Delhi- Amritsar), where as a bifurcation of this highway
beyond Fullundar to Srinagar and Ur i is denoted as NH- 1_A.They are constructed and
maintained by CPWD. The total length of National highway in the country is 58,112 Kms, and
constituteabout 2% of total road networks of India and carry 40% of total traffic.

b) State highways:

They are the arterial roads of a state, connecting up with the national highways of adjacent states,
district head quarters and important cities within the state.They also serve as main arteries to and
from district roads. Total length of all SH in the country is 1,37,119Kms.

c) Major district roads:

Important roads with in a district serving areas of production and markets, connecting those with
each other or with the major highways. India has a total of 4,70,000 kms of MDR.

d) Other district roads:

Roads serving rural areas of production and providing them with outlet to market centers or other
important roads like MDR or SH.

e) Village roads:

They are roads connecting villages or group of villages with each other or to the nearest road of a
higher category like ODR or MDR. India has 26,50,000kms of ODR+VR out of the total
33,15,231 kms of all type of roads.

6.5. Bombay Road Plan:

The length of roads envisaged under the Nagpur plan was achieved by the end of it, but the road
system was deficient in many respects. The changed economic, industrial and agricultural
conditions in the country warranted a review of the Nagpur plan. Accordingly a 20-year plan was
drafted by the Roads wing of Government of India, which is popularly known as the Bombay
plan. The highlights of the plan were:

• It was the second 20 year road plan (1961-1981)

30 | P a g e
• The total road length targeted to construct was about 10 lakhs.
• Rural roads were given specific attention. Scientific methods of construction was proposed
for the rural roads. The necessary technical advice to the Panchayaths should be given by
State PWD’s.
• They suggested that the length of the road should be increased so as to give a road density of
32kms/100 sq.km
• The construction of 1600 km of expressways was also then included in the plan.

6.6. Lucknow Road Plan:

This plan has been prepared keeping in view the growth pattern envisaged in various fields by
the turn of the century. Some of the salient features of this plan are as given below:

• This was the third 20 year road plan (1981-2001). It is also called Lucknow road plan.
• It aimed at constructing a road length of 12 lakh kilometres by the year 1981 resulting in a
road density of 82kms/100 sq.km
• The plan has set the target length of NH to be completed by the end of seventh, eighth and
ninth five year plan periods.
• It aims at improving the transportation facilities in villages, towns etc. such that no part of
country is farther than 50 km from NH.
• One of the goals contained in the plan was that expressways should be constructed on major
traffic corridors to provide speedy travel.
• Energy conservation, environmental quality of roads and road safety measures were also
given due importance in this plan.

6.7. Central Road Funds (CRF):

 In 1998-99 to meet the challenges of accelerated funding requirement for all categories of
roads in the country. Union Budget had provided for levy of additional excise duty and
additional custom duty of Re. 1 per litre of petrol.
 Subsequently, in the Union Budget for the year 1999-2000, an additional duty of Re. 1 per
litre of high-speed diesel was also levied.

31 | P a g e
  The then Hon‟ble Finance Minister, during his budget speech for the year 2003-04, has
announced additional levy of cess of 50 paise per litre each on petrol and high-speed
diesel.
 The revenue generated from the cess would be used to finance all categories of roads. This
fund has been given a statutory status by Central Road Fund Act enacted in December,
2000.
 Allocations from this fund are being made in the following manner:-
 50% of the cess on high speed diesel oil for development of rural roads.
 50% of cess on HSD and the entire cess collected on petrol.
 An amount equal to 57.5% of such sum for the development and maintenance of National
Highways;
 An amount equal to 12.5% for construction of road under or over bridge sand safety works
at unmanned railway crossing.
 An amount equal to 30% on development and maintenance of State Roads Out of this
amount, 10% shall be kept as reserved by the Central Government for allocation to States
for implementation of State Road Schemes of Inter-State and Economic importance to be
approved by the Central Government.
 It has also been decided to levy additional cess of 50 paise per litre on petrol and diesel for
the year 2005-06 which will be exclusively used for National Highways.

 Economic importance and Interstate connectivity schemes (EI&ISC Schemes)

 The scheme has now been regulated in accordance with revamped Central Road Fund
scheme as per Central Road Fund Act 2000 passed in December, 2002.
 The scheme provide following funding pattern:
 100% grant for Road/bridge projects of Inter State Connectivity
 50% grant for projects of Economic Importance.
 Broadly the following categories of road/bridge projects will be eligible for consideration.
 Inter-State roads/bridges necessary for ensuring through communication
 Roads/Bridges connecting National Highways.
 Road/Bridges required for opening up new areas for economic growth where railway
facilities cannot be provided in near future.
 Road/Bridges which would contribute materially to rapid development e.g. in hilly areas
and areas having rich mineral resources for exploitation.

32 | P a g e
7. ROAD DEVELOPMEMNT GOVERNING AUTHORITIES IN
INDIA :
7.1. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH):
The Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways is a ministry of the Government of India, That is the apex body for formulation and
administration of the rules, regulations and laws relating to road transport, transport research
and in also to increase the mobility and efficiency of the road transport system in India.
Through its officers of Central Engineering Services (Roads) cadre it is responsible for the
development of National Highways of the country. Road transport is a critical infrastructure
for economic development of the country. It influences the pace, structure and pattern of
development. In India, roads are used to transport over 60 percent of the total goods and 85
percent of the passenger traffic. Hence, development of this sector is of paramount importance
for India and accounts for a significant part in the budget. Since May 2014, the Minister for
Road Transport and Highways is Nitin Gadkari.

Share of
Road Length
Authority responsible network
classification (km)
length

National
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways 101,011 1.80 %
Highways

State Public Works Department of State/Union

176,166 3.14 %
Highways Territory

Other PWD Public Works Department of State/Union

561,940 10.03 %
roads Territory

Rural roads Panchayats, JRY and PMGSY 3,935,337 70.23 %

Urban roads Local governments and municipalities 509,730 9.10 %

Various State/Union territory government

Project roads 319,109 5.70 %
departments, and SAIL, NMDC and BRO

33 | P a g e
Total N/A 5,603,293 100 %

Table 2 Roadways in India

7.2. NHAI:
National Highways Authority of India is the regulating firm for the maintenance development
and safety of national highways. NHAI regulates the work for Government of India as an
autonomous agency. It is responsible for the management of 50,000 km national highways
network out of 1,15,000 km in India.

7.3. NHDP:
The National Highways Development Project (NHDP) is a project to upgrade, rehabilitate and
widen major highways in India to a higher standard. The project was started in 1998 under the
leadership of then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. National Highways account for only
about 2% of the total length of roads, but carry about 40% of the total traffic across the length
and breadth of the country. This project is managed by the National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) under the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways. The NHDP represents 49,260 km
of roads and highways work and construction in order to boost economic development of the
country. The government has planned to end the NHDP program in early 2018 and consume the
ongoing projects under a larger Bharatmala project.

National Highways Development Project at a glance

NHDP Particulars Length Indicative cost ₹ (

Phase in cr)

NHDP-I Balance work of GQ and EW-NS 13,000 km 42,000

& II corridors (8,100 mi)

NHDP-III 4-laning 10,000 km 55,000

(6,200 mi)

NHDP-IV 2-laning 20,000 km 25,000

34 | P a g e
 (12,000 mi)

NHDP-V 6-laning of selected stretches 5,000 km 17,500

(3,100 mi)

NHDP-VI Development of expressways 1,000 km 15,000

(620 mi)

NHDP- Ring Roads, Bypasses, Grade 700 km (430 mi) 15,000

VII Separators, Service Roads etc.

Total 45,000 km 1,69,500 (Revised to

(28,000 mi) 2,20,000)

Table 3 NHDP Schedule and Estimated Cost

 Project Phases:

The project is composed of the following phases:

 Phase I: The Golden Quadrilateral (GQ; 5,846 km) connecting the four major cities of
Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. This project connecting four metro cities, is
5,846 km (3,633 mi). Total cost of the project is Rs.300 billion (US$6.8 billion), funded
largely by the government’s special petroleum product tax revenues and government
borrowing. In January 2012, India announced the four-lane GQ highway network as
complete.[1][2]
 Phase II: North-South and East-West corridors comprising national highways connecting
four extreme points of the country. The North–South and East–West Corridor (NS-EW;
7,142 km) connecting Srinagar in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, including spur
from Salem to Kanyakumari (Via Coimbatore and Kochi) and Silchar in the east to
Porbandar in the west. Total length of the network is 7,142 km (4,438 mi). As of 31
October 2016, 90.99% of the project had been completed, 5.47% of the project work is
under Implementation and 3.52% of the total length is left.[3][4] It also includes Port

35 | P a g e
 connectivity and other projects — 435 km (270 mi). The final completion date to 28
February 2009 at a cost of Rs.350 billion (US$8 billion), with funding similar to Phase I.
 Phase III: The government on 12th April, 2007 approved NHDP-III to upgrade
12,109 km (7,524 mi)of national highways on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis,
which takes into account high-density traffic, connectivity of state capitals via NHDP
Phase I and II, and connectivity to centres of economic importance.
 Phase IV: The government on 18th June, 2008 approved widening 20,000 km
(12,000 mi) of highway that were not part of Phase I, II, or III. Phase IV will convert
existing single-lane highways into two lanes with paved shoulders.
 Phase V: As road traffic increases over time, a number of four-lane highways will need
to be upgraded/expanded to six lanes. On 5 October, 2006 the government approved for
upgrade of about 5,000 km (3,100 mi) of four-lane roads.
 Phase VI: The government is working on constructing 1,000 km (620 mi) expressways
that would connect major commercial and industrial townships. It has already identified
400 km (250 mi) of Vadodara (earlier Baroda)-Mumbai section that would connect to the
existing Vadodara (earlier Baroda)-Ahmedabad section. The World Bank is studying this
project. The project will be funded on BOT basis. The 334 km (208 mi) Expressway
between Chennai—Bangalore and 277 km (172 mi) Expressway between Kolkata—
Dhanbad has been identified and feasibility study and DPR contract has been awarded by
NHAI.
 Phase VII: This phase calls for improvements to city road networks by adding ring roads
to enable easier connectivity with national highways to important cities. In addition,
improvements will be made to stretches of national highways that require additional
flyovers and bypasses given population and housing growth along the highways and
increasing traffic. The government has planned to invest Rs. 16,680 Cr for this phase.
The 19 km (12 mi) long Chennai Port—Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway is being
executed under this phase.

Priority NHDP Length (km) Status Approval Completion

Phase Target

36 | P a g e
 1 Phase I 5,846 km Fully complete December December
(3,633 mi) 2000 2006

2 Phase II 7,300 km Award in progress December December

(4,500 mi) 2003 2009

3 Phase III 4,000 km Already identified March 2005 December

A (2,500 mi) 2009

4 Phase V 6,500 km 5700 km of GQ + November December

(4,000 mi) 800 km to be 2005 2012
identified

5 Phase III 6,000 km Already identified March 2006 December

B (3,700 mi) 2012

6 Phase VII 700 km Ring roads to be December December

A (430 mi) identified 2006 2012

7 Phase IV 5,000 km To be identified December December

A (3,100 mi) 2006 2012

8 Phase VII Ring roads to be December December

B identified 2007 2013

9 Phase IV 5,000 km To be identified December December

B (3,100 mi) 2007 2013

10 Phase VI 400 km Already identified December December

A (250 mi) 2007 2014

11 Phase VII Ring roads to be December December

C identified 2008 2014

12 Phase IV 5,000 km To be identified December December

C (3,100 mi) 2008 2014

13 Phase VI 600 km To be identified December December

B (370 mi) 2008 2015
14 Phase IV 5,000 km To be identified December December
D (3,100 mi) 2009 2015

Table 4 Timeline of the National Highways Development Projects Phases

37 | P a g e
8. National Highways in India
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is an autonomous agency of the
Government of India, responsible for management of a network of over 50,000 km of National
Highways out of 1,15,000 km in India. It is a nodal agency of the Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways. NHAI has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Space
Research Organization for satellite mapping of highways.

Figure 14 NH layout

National Highway 44 (NH 44) is the longest National Highway in India, starts from Srinagar
and terminates in kanyakumari. The NH 44 highway has come into being by merging seven
major national highways of old number that include NH 1A,NH 1,NH 2,NH 3, NH 75,NH 26
and NH 7. Major stretch of NH 44 are part of North South Corridor and the Golden
Quadrilateral, connects several important Indian cities from Srinagar to Kanyakumari.

Highway Connectivity Length

(Kms)
NH-1 Leh (Jammu & Kashmir) to Uri (Jammu & Kashmir) 534
NH-1A Jalandhar – Madhopur – Jammu – Banihal – Srinagar – 663
Baramula – Uri
NH-2 Delhi-Mathura-Agra-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi-Kolkata 1465
NH-3 Agra-Gwalior-Nasik-Mumbai 1,326
NH-4 Mayabandar-Port Blair-Chiriyatapu (Andaman) 230
NH-5 Firozepur (Punjab) – Shipkila (Himachal Pradesh) 637

38 | P a g e
NH-6 Jorabat (Meghalaya) – Selling (Mizoram) 1873
NH-7 Fazilka(Punjab)-Rishikesh-Badrinath-Mana(Uttarakhand) 770
NH-8 Karimganj(Assam)-Khayerpur(Tripura) 371
NH-9 Malout(Punjab)-Rohtak(Haryana)-Delhi-Ghaziabad- 811
Rampur(Uttar Pradesh)-Pithoragarh(Uttarakhand)
NH-10 Siliguri(West Bengal)-Gangtok(Sikkim) 174
NH-11 Jaisalmer, Pokaran, Bikaner, Sri Dungargarh, Ratangarh, 545
Fatehpur, Mandawa, Jhunjhunu
NH-12 Dalkhola-Bakkhali in West Bengal 612
NH-13 Tawang-Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh 1150
NH-15 Baihat(Assam)-Wakro(Arunachal Pradesh) 664
NH-16 Jharpokaria-Baleshwar-Cuttack-Vijaywada-Chennai 1533
NH- 18 Gobindpur-Chas-Purulia-Chandil-Jamshedpur-Ghatshila- 359
Baharagora-Baripada-Balasore
NH-17 Sevoke(West Bengal)-Guwahati(Assam) 477
NH-19 Delhi-Mathura-Agra-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi- 1435
Mohania-Barhi- Palsit-Baidyabati-Bara-Kolkata
NH-21 Jaipur-Agra 262
NH-26 Raipur – Balangir – Vizianagaram 551
NH – 27 Porbandar(Gujarat)-Udaipur-Kota-Jhansi-Kanpur- 3,507
Lucknow-Gorakhpur-Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga-Guwahati-
Dispur-Silchar(Assam)
NH – 30 Sitarganj (Uttarakhand)-Bareilly-Shahjahanpur-Sitapur- 2040
Lucknow-Raebareli-Allahabad-Jabalpur-Raipur-
Dhamtari-Jagdalpur-Bhadrachalam-Kothagudem-
Ibrahimpatnam(Andhra Pradesh)
NH-31 Unnao(Uttar Pradesh)-Samsi(West Bengal) 968
NH-33 Arwal(Bihar)-Farakka(West Bengal) 443
NH-34 Gangotri Dham (Uttarakhand)-Lakhnadon(Madhya 1426
Pradesh)

39 | P a g e
NH – 39 Jhansi-Satna-Singrauli-Shaktinagar-Ranchi 869
NH-42 Anantapur(Andhra Pradesh) – Krishnagiri(Tamil Nadu) 424
*NH-44 Srinagar-Jalandhar-Ludhiana-Panipat-Delhi-Mathura- 3745
Agra-Gwalior-Jhansi-Jabalpur-Nagpur-Adilabad-
Nizamabad-Hyderabad-Mahbubnagar-Kurnool-
Anantapur-Bangalore-Dharmapuri-Salem-Karur-
Dindigul-Madurai-Tirunelveli-Kanyakumari
NH – 47 Bamanbore(Gujarat)-Nagpur(Maharashtra) 1080
NH – 48 New Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Udaipur-Ahmedabad-Vadodara- 2807
Surat-Vapi-Mumbai-Pune-Kolhapur-Belgaum-Hubballi-
Bengaluru-Vellore-Chennai
NH – 49 Bilaspur(Chhattishgarh)-Kolkata(Bengal) 817
NH-52 Narwana-Hisar-Jaipur-Kota-Indore-Aurangabad-Solapur- 2317
Bijapur-Hubli-Ankola
NH-62 Abohar(Punjab)-Pindwara(Rajasthan) 748
NH-63 Yedshi- Latur- Udgir- Deglur- Adampur – Khatgoan – 860
Nizamabad – Metpalli – Mancheral – Chinnur -
(CHENNUR)- Sironcha – Bijapur – Bhairamgarh –
Gidam – Bagmundi – Jagdalpur
NH-65 Pune, Solapur, Hyderabad, Suryapet, Vijayawada and 881
Machilipatnam
NH-66 Panvel-Sangameshwar-Hatkhamba(Ratnagiri)-Panaji- 1622
Margao-Karwar-Udupi-Surathkal-Mangaluru-Kannur-
Thalassery-Kozhikode-Kodungallur-Kochi-Alappuzha-
Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari
NH-67 Hubli-Hospet-Bellary-Guntakal-Tadipatri- 770
Jammalamadugu-Proddatur-Mydukur-Badvel-Nellore-
Krishnapatnam Port
NH-75 Mangalore-Hassan-Bangalore-Venkatagirikota- 533
Gudiyattam-Katpadi-Vellore

40 | P a g e
NH-948 Bengaluru(Karnataka)-Coimbatore(Tamil Nadu) 317
NH-183 Kollam(Kerala)-Dindigul(Tamil Nadu) 210

Table 5 List of National Highways in India

Figure 15 National Highways Map

41 | P a g e
9. Expressways in India:
Expressways are the highest class of roads in the Indian road network. They are six or eight-lane
controlled-access highways where entrance and exit is controlled by the use of slip roads.
Currently, approximately 1,581.4 km of expressways are operational in India. The National
Highways Development Project by Government of India aims to expand the highway network
and plans to add an additional 18,637 km (11,580 mi) of expressways by 2022. National
Expressways Authority of India operating under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
will be in-charge of the construction and maintenance of expressways. India has one of the
lowest densities of expressways in the world.

Figure 16 Yamuna Expressways Delhi

Only operational length is shown. Total length listed in this table is 1,347.5 km (837.3 mi). Agra-
Lucknow Expressway, 302 km long, is the longest expressway in India and the 14-lane Delhi-
Meerut Expressway is the widest.

42 | P a g e
 Name Distance State(s)

Hyderabad ORR 158 km (98.2 mi) Telangana

PV Narsimha Rao Expressway 11.6 km (7.2 mi) Telangana

Agra-Lucknow Expressway 302 km (187.7 mi) Uttar Pradesh

Ahmadabad Vadodara Expressway (National 95 km (59.0 mi) Gujarat

Expressway 1)

Hindon Elevated Road 10.3 km (6.4 mi) Uttar Pradesh

Delhi - Meerut expressway 8.7 km (5.4 mi) Delhi, Uttar Pradesh

Chennai Bypass 32 km (19.9 mi) Tamil Nadu

Chennai Outer Ring Road 60 km (37.3 mi) Tamil Nadu

Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway 27.7 km (17.2 mi) Delhi, Haryana

Delhi Faridabad Skyway 4.4 km (2.7 mi) Delhi, Haryana

Western Peripheral Expressway 135.6 km (84.3 mi) Delhi, Haryana

Eastern Peripheral Expressway (National Expressway 135 km (83.9 mi) Delhi, Haryana
2)

Delhi Noida Direct Flyway 9.2 km (5.7 mi) Delhi

Mumbai Eastern Freeway 16.8 km (10.44 mi) Maharashtra

Hosur Road Elevated Expressway 9.9 km (6.2 mi) Karnataka

Mumbai Pune Expressway 94.5 km (58.7 mi) Maharashtra

Jaipur Elevated Road 8 km (5.0 mi) Rajasthan

Noida-Greater Noida Expressway 24.5 km (15.2 mi) Uttar Pradesh

Panipat Elevated Expressway 10 km (6.2 mi) Haryana

Mumbai Western Freeway 29.3 km (18.2 mi) Maharashtra

Yamuna Expressway 165 km (102.5 mi) Uttar Pradesh

Table 6 Expressways in India

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10. Design Procedure of Construction of Highways:
 Planning
a. Land acquisition
b. Surveying
c. Clearing & grubbing
d. Excavation
 Design
o Geometric Design
o Materials
o Flexible Pavement Design
o Rigid Pavement Design
o Drainage System Design
 Construction
 Maintenance

10.1. Planning:
Highway planning involves the estimation of current and future traffic
volumes on a road network. The Highway planning is also a basic need for the Highway
development. Highway engineers strive to predict and analyze all possible civil impacts of
highway systems. Some considerations are the adverse effects on the environment, such as noise
pollution, air pollution, water pollution, and other ecological impacts.

 Land Acquisition:

Land acquisition is the legal process of acquiring lands (vacant or inhabited) of Individual
citizens or organization by the government or its agencies for any purpose using law and state
mercenary (Police, Paramilitary etc.) it has been in news time and again whenever citizen/public
are killed by governments to acquire land.

 Clearing, Grubbing and Excavation:

 Before any construction the roadway must be cleared of all vegetation and trees
including their roots removed.

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  Cross sections should be taken prior to any excavation works.
 All construction works must be carried out in as safe a manner as possible.
 Excavated suitable materials should be used when possible in the works.
 Provision has to be made for drainage of the temporary and permanent works.
 Soil containing vegetable matter is not suitable as fill material.
 Borrow pits should not affect the stability of the road, or any other structure.
 Clearing and Grubbing before any construction starts the roadway must be cleared of
debris. Unless there are specific reasons, agreed to by the Engineer in writing, all
materials including trees, grass, crops and structures, which fall within the road
alignment must be removed. Also all major stumps and roots need to be removed
(grubbed out) and the holes left must be filled with compacted suitable fill material.

 Excavation:
General Before any excavation, including the removal of any areas of unsuitable materials,
cross-sections should be taken of the undisturbed ground. From this information, and the
cross sections taken of the completed road, earthwork quantities can be calculated. No
existing material, which will remain in the completed works, should be loosened
unnecessarily during excavation. Excavation works, along with all construction activities,
must be undertaken in as safe a manner as possible to minimize the dangers to road users and
the contractors personnel.
 Embankment:
 All fill materials must be free from vegetable matter and the material must be approved
as suitable.

 The material should be of an appropriate nature and at a moisture content that it can be
compacted to form a stable layer.

 Generally embankments should be constructed in 150 mm compacted layers parallel to

the finished grade of the road.

 For each completed layer the density should be checked (One test for each 1,000 square
metres) by laboratory personnel. If test results show the required density is not achieved
further compaction is necessary.

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  Any soft areas must be rectified before further material is placed. Each earthworks layer
requires to be approved before the next layer can be started.

Figure 17 Embankment Widening Procedure

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 Figure 18 Embankment

 Engineering Surveys Involved:

a) Map study

b) Reconnaissance

c) Preliminary surveys

d) Final location and detailed surveys

Description:

a. Map study:
 In the topographic map, to suggest the likely routes of roads. In India topographic maps are
available from the survey of India with 15 or 30-meter contour intervals.
 The main feature like rivers, hills, and valleys etc. The probable alignment can be located on
the map on internet.
b. Reconnaissance:

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The second stage of surveys for highway location is the reconnaissance to examine

the general character of the area for deciding the most feasible routes for detailed studies.

Some of the details to be collected during reconnaissance are given below:

 Valleys, ponds, lakes, marshy, land, ridge, hills, permanent structures and other
obstructions along the route, which are not available in the map.
 Approximate values of gradient, length of gradients and radius of curves of alternate
alignments.
 Number and types of cross drainage structures maximum flood level and natural ground
water level along the probable routes.
c. Preliminary survey:
The main objectives of the preliminary surveys are:
 To survey the various alternate alignments proposed after the reconnaissance and to
collect all the necessary physical information and details of topography, drainage and soil.
 To compare the different proposals in view of the requirements of a good alignment.
 To estimate quantity of earthwork materials and other construction aspects and to work
out the cost of alternate proposals.
 To finalize the best alignment from all considerations.

The procedure of the conventional methods of preliminary surveys the given steps:

a. Primary survey
b. Topographical features
c. Leveling work
d. Drainage study
e. Material survey
f. Traffic survey

d. Final location and detailed survey:

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The alignment finalized at the design office after the preliminary survey is to be first located on
the field by establishing the centerline. The detailed survey should be carried out for collecting
the information technology for the preparation of plans and construction details.

 Location
 Detailed survey

10.2. Design:

The most appropriate location, alignment, and shape of a highway are selected during the design
stage. Highway design involves the consideration of three major factors (human, vehicular, and
roadway) and how these factors interact to provide a safe highway. Human factors include
reaction time for braking and steering, visual acuity for traffic signs and signals, and car-
following behaviour. Vehicle considerations include vehicle size and dynamics that are essential
for determining lane width and maximum slopes, and for the selection of design vehicles.
Highway engineers design road geometry to ensure stability of vehicles when negotiating curves
and grades and to provide adequate sight distances for undertaking passing maneuvers along
curves on two-lane, two-way roads.

 Geometric design:

Highway and transportation engineers must meet many safety, service, and performance
standards when designing highways for certain site topography. Highway geometric design
primarily refers to the visible elements of the highways. Highway engineers who design the
geometry of highways must also consider environmental and social effects of the design on the
surrounding infrastructure. There are certain considerations that must be properly addressed in
the design process to successfully fit a highway to a site's topography and maintain its safety.
Some of these design considerations are:

 Design speed
 Design traffic volume
 Number of lanes
 Level of service (LOS)

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  Sight distance
 Alignment, super-elevation, and grades
 Cross section
 Lane width
 Horizontal and vertical clearance

The operational performance of a highway can be seen through drivers' reactions to the design
considerations and their interaction.

 Materials

The materials used for roadway construction have progressed with time, dating back to the early
days of the Roman Empire. Advancements in methods with which these materials are
characterized and applied to pavement structural design has accompanied this advancement in
materials. There are two major types of pavement surfaces - Portland cement concrete (PCC) and
hot-mix asphalt (HMA). Underneath this wearing course are material layers that give structural
support for the pavement system. These underlying surfaces may include either the aggregate
base and subbase layers, or treated base and subbase layers, and additionally the underlying
natural or treated subgrade. These treated layers may be cement-treated, asphalt-treated, or lime-
treated for additional support.

 Pavement Design:
 Flexible pavement design:

A flexible, or asphalt, or Tarmac pavement typically consists of three or four layers. For a four
layer flexible pavement, there is a surface course, base course, and subbase course constructed
over a compacted, natural soil subgrade. When building a three layer flexible pavement, the
subbase layer is not used and the base course is placed directly on the natural subgrade.

A flexible pavement's surface layer is constructed of hot-mix asphalt (HMA). Unstabilized

aggregates are typically used for the base course; however, the base course could also be
stabilized with asphalt, Foamed Bitumen,<Roadstone Recycling> Portland cement, or another
stabilizing agent. The subbase is generally constructed from local aggregate material, while the
top of the subgrade is often stabilized with cement or lime.
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With flexible pavement, the highest stress occurs at the surface and the stress decreases as the
depth of the pavement increases. Therefore, the highest quality material needs to be used for the
surface, while lower quality materials can be used as the depth of the pavement increases. The
term "flexible" is used because of the asphalts ability to bend and deform slightly, then return to
its original position as each traffic load is applied and removed. It is possible for these small
deformations to become permanent, which can lead to rutting in the wheel path over an extended
time.

 Rigid pavement design:

Rigid pavements are generally used in constructing airports and major highways, such as those in
the interstate highway system. In addition, they commonly serve as heavy-duty industrial floor
slabs, port and harbor yard pavements, and heavy-vehicle park or terminal pavements. Like
flexible pavements, rigid highway pavements are designed as all-weather, long-lasting structures
to serve modern day high-speed traffic.

Rigid pavements are generally constructed in three layers - a prepared subgrade, base or subbase,
and a concrete slab. The concrete slab is constructed according to a designed choice of plan
dimensions for the slab panels, directly influencing the intensity of thermal stresses occurring
within the pavement. In addition to the slab panels, temperature reinforcements must be designed
to control cracking behavior in the slab. Joint spacing is determined by the slab panel
dimensions.

 Drainage system design:

Designing for proper drainage of highway systems is crucial to their success. Regardless of how
well other aspects of a road are designed and constructed, adequate drainage is mandatory for a
road to survive its entire service life. Excess water in the highway structure can inevitably lead to
premature failure, even if the failure is not catastrophic.

Each highway drainage system is site-specific and can be very complex. Depending on the
geography of the region, many methods for proper drainage may not be applicable. The highway
engineer must determine which situations a particular design process should be applied, usually a

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combination of several appropriate methods and materials to direct water away from the
structure.

Typically, construction begins at the lowest elevation of the site, regardless of the project type,
and moves upward. By reviewing the geotechnical specifications of the project, information is
given about:

 Existing ground conditions

 Required equipment for excavation, grading, and material transportation to and from the
site
 Properties of materials to be excavated
 Dewatering requirements necessary for below-grade work
 Shoring requirements for excavation protection
 Water quantities for compaction and dust control

 Subbase course construction

A subbase course is a layer designed of carefully selected materials that is located between the
subgrade and base course of the pavement. The subbase thickness is generally in the range of 4
to 16 inches, and it is designed to withstand the required structural capacity of the pavement
section.

Common materials used for a highway subbase include gravel, crushed stone, or subgrade soil
that is stabilized with cement, fly ash, or lime. Permeable subbase courses are becoming more
prevalent because of their ability to drain infiltrating water from the surface. They also prevent
subsurface water from reaching the pavement surface.

When local material costs are excessively expensive or the material requirements to increase the
structural bearing of the sub-base are not readily available, highway engineers can increase the
bearing capacity of the underlying soil by mixing in Portland cement, foamed asphalt, or use
polymer soil stabilization such as cross-linking styrene acrylic polymer that increases the
California Bearing Ratio of in-situ materials by a factor 4 – 6.

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  Base course construction

The base course is the region of the pavement section that is located directly under the surface
course. If there is a subbase course, the base course is constructed directly about this layer.
Otherwise, it is built directly on top of the subgrade. Typical base course thickness ranges from 4
to 6 inches and is governed by underlying layer properties.

Heavy loads are continuously applied to pavement surfaces, and the base layer absorbs the
majority of these stresses. Generally, the base course is constructed with an untreated crushed
aggregate such as crushed stone, slag, or gravel. The base course material will have stability
under the construction traffic and good drainage characteristics.

The base course materials are often treated with cement, bitumen, calcium chloride, sodium
chloride, fly ash, or lime. These treatments provide improved support for heavy loads, frost
susceptibility, and serves as a moisture barrier between the base and surface layers.

 Surface course construction

There are two most commonly used types of pavement surfaces used in highway construction:
hot-mix asphalt and Portland cement concrete. These pavement surface courses provide a smooth
and safe riding surface, while simultaneously transferring the heavy traffic loads through the
various base courses and into the underlying subgrade soils.

 Hot-mix asphalt (HMA) layers

Hot-mix asphalt surface courses are referred to as flexible pavements. The Super pave System
was developed in the late 1980s and has offered changes to the design approach, mix design,
specifications, and quality testing of materials.

The construction of an effective, long-lasting asphalt pavement requires an experienced

construction crew, committed to their work quality and equipment control.

Construction issues:

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  Asphalt mix segregation
 Laydown
 Compaction
 Joints

A prime coat is a low viscosity asphalt that is applied to the base course prior to laying the HMA
surface course. This coat bonds loose material, creating a cohesive layer between the base course
and asphalt surface.

A tack coat is a low viscosity asphalt emulsion that is used to create a bond between an existing
pavement surface and new asphalt overlay. Tack coats are typically applied on adjacent
pavements (curbs) to assist the bonding of the HMA and concrete.

10.3. Highway maintenance:

The overall purpose of highway maintenance is to fix defects and preserve the pavement's
structure and serviceability. Defects must be defined, understood, and recorded in order to create.

10.4. Highway safety:

Highway systems generate the highest price in human injury and death, as nearly 50 million
persons are injured in traffic accidents every year, not including the 1.2 million deaths.[7] Road
traffic injury is the single leading cause of unintentional death in the first five decades of human
life.

Management of safety is a systematic process that strives to reduce the occurrence and severity
of traffic accidents. The man/machine interaction with road traffic systems is unstable and poses
a challenge to highway safety management. The key for increasing the safety of highway
systems is to design, build, and maintain them to be far more tolerant of the average range of this
man/machine interaction with highways. Technological advancements in highway engineering
have improved the design, construction, and maintenance methods used over the years. These
advancements have allowed for newer highway safety innovations.

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By ensuring that all situations and opportunities are identified, considered, and implemented as
appropriate, they can be evaluated in every phase of highway planning, design, construction,
maintenance, and operation to increase the safety of our highway systems.

an appropriate maintenance plan. Maintenance planning is solving an optimization problem and

it can be predictive. In predictive maintenance planning empirical, data-driven methods give
more accurate results than mechanical models. Defects differ between flexible and rigid
pavements.

There are four main objectives of highway maintenance:

 repair of functional pavement defects

 extend the functional and structural service life of the pavement
 maintain road safety and signage
 keep road reserve in acceptable condition

11. Efforts in India to address issues related to road network:

India's recent efforts to build modern highways and improve its road network have made a
significant difference in trucking logistics. According to DHL, a global logistics company, the
average time to truck shipments from New Delhi to Bengaluru (Bangalore), a 2000+ kilometer
journey, had dropped in 2008, to about five days. By 2010, the average time to complete a road
trip from New Delhi to Mumbai, a 1400+ kilometer journey, had dropped to about 35 hours. In
contrast, a similar journey takes about half the time in China, and one third in European Union
countries. In a 2010 report, KPMG – one of the world's largest audit and advisory services
company – noted marked improvements in Indian road network and logistics efficiency in recent
years. The report also identified the competitive challenges faced by India. Some findings of this
report include:

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  The average road speed in India has increased to 30–40 kilometers per hour. The
worldwide average road speed, which includes China, ranges between 60–80 kilometers
per hour.

 Four lane road network in India has increased to 7,000 kilometers.

 Average surface freight costs have dropped to US$0.07 per kilometer. Japan, in
comparison, has average surface freight costs of US$0.037 per kilometer.

The KPMG report also notes that India's road network logistics and transportation bottlenecks
hinder its GDP growth by one to two percent (US$16 billion – US$32 billion). In India's 2010
per capita income basis, this is equivalent to a loss of about 10 million new jobs every year. Poor
rural roads and traffic congestion inside the cities remains a challenge in India. The planned
addition of over 12,000 kilometers of expressways in the next 10 years may help address some of
such issues. The constraints and issues with Indian road network differ from one state to another.
Some states, such as Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, have remarkably better road network than others.

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 12. Conclusion:
Road transport is one of the most common modes of transport. A closely associated need is the
transport of raw materials to a manufacturing unit or finished goods for consumption.
Transportation fulfills these basic needs of humanity. Transportation plays a major role in the
development of the human civilization. For instance, one could easily observe the strong
correlation between the evolution of human settlement and the proximity of transport facilities.

As National Highways are major aspect of economic development of any country. The National
Highways Development Project (NHDP) is a project to upgrade, rehabilitate and widen major
highways in India to a higher standard. As economy of any developing country majorly depends
upon the transport system of that country and network of connectivity between major cities and
ports.

13. Reference:

1. NPTEL Portal for civil engineering

2. Text Book For Highway Engineering by S. K. Khanna
3. Transportation Engineering & Planning, C.S. Papacostas, P.D. Prevedouros, Prentice Hall of India Pvt
ltd, 2006.
4. Highway Design and Practices for Highways Development by Khanna Publishers, K.R.
Nadiyali & Pathak
5. IRC Standards (IRC 37 - 2001 & IRC 58 -1998)
6. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Publications on Highway Materials
7. Specifications for Road and Bridges, MORTH (India)
8. International Journal for roads development
9. www.wikipedia.com
10. www.google.com
11. NHAI official website
12. www.morth,gov.in

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