NHAI adds 1,470 kms of national highway amid lockdown in April and May

National highway construction continues to grow at rapid rate in India, even during the lockdown due to the pandemic. According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), India has managed to add another 1,470 kms of national highways in the last two months.

According to the MoRTH, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has increased national highway construction by a massive 73.5 per cent as compared to the same period last year. During both these phases, several parts in India faced lockdown restrictions due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

Sharing the developments, the ministry said that NHAI constructed 847 kms of national highways between April and May this year, while another 663 kms of national highway projects were awarded by the end of last month.

In the 2020-21 financial year, the NHAI managed to add around 4,350 kilometres of highway projects. It is also ramping up the pipeline of highway projects to be awarded in the first quarter of FY2021-2022. The authority is expected to bid out highway projects worth around ₹50,000 crore in the first quarter of the next financial year, claims a report.

India has seen one of the fastest growing network of national highways under union minister Nitin Gadkari. Earlier this year, the National Highways Authority of India completed development of a 25.54 km single lane stretch of road in just 18 hours, creating a world record. The stretch that made it to the record books is situated on the four-lane highway between Vijaypur and Solapur on the NH-52.

NHAI had created another world record in February for laying the highest quantity of concrete on a four-lane highway within one day. The feat was achieved by the contractor Patel Infrastructure and entered the India Book of Records and Golden Book of World Records.