Rs 5,600-crore national highway projects lined up in Rajasthan as Nitin Gadkari eyes his 40 km per day construction goal

Inching closer to his target of constructing 40 kilometres of road a day, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday, July 4, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 11 National Highway (NH) projects in Rajasthan's Pratapgarh.

Highlights of road projects in Rajasthan

The 11 projects in Rajasthan include four National Highways covering 219 km distance and the total cost of the projects is Rs 3,775 crore.

Live from Inauguration and Foundation stone laying ceremony of 11 NH projects worth _5600 Cr in Pratapgarh, Rajasthan #PragatiKaHighway #GatiShakti https://t.co/k6FbG2H1os

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) July 4, 2023

A 6-lane highway has also been constructed to improve the connectivity between Kishangarh and Gulbapura through the National Highway 48. This project will not only enhance connectivity but also boost the economic and social development of Ajmer and Bhilwara districts.

According to an official release by the Road Transport Ministry, the six-lane project built in the Gulabpura-Chittorgarh section will strengthen the overall connectivity of Udaipur, Jaipur, and Kota regions of Bhilwara and Chittorgarh districts.

To avoid the long-standing issue of traffic jams at the railway crossing, a 4-lane ROB has been constructed on National Highway 162A at Fatehnagar. A high-rise bridge built on the Chambal River in Mandrayal under CRIF was also inaugurated among other projects by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday. The bridge will enhance the connectivity between Mandrayal, Karauli in Rajasthan, and Sabalgarh in Madhya Pradesh.

Nitin Gadkri also laid the foundation stone for other seven road projects worth Rs 1850 crore that will cover 221 km. This project will provide better connectivity between Nathdwara and Udaipur Airport. The construction of the Pratapgarh bypass is expected to reduce traffic jams inside the city.

Under the new project, the tribal areas of Dungarpur, Udaipur, and Banswara will also get new infrastructure that will create better connectivity. Among other upstream projects, the Transport Department has also started the construction of bypasses in Sangwara and Garhi that will reduce the distance between Dungarpur and Banswara by 10 km.

To protect animals, 13 underpasses will also be built in Todgarh Wildlife Sanctuary on the Beawar-Gomti road, the release said.

During this program, Gadkari announced the approval of 74 projects under the CRF at a cost of 2250 crores in Rajasthan. The construction work on these projects is expected to start sometime soon.

Nitin Gadkari's vision for road networks and connectivity

Nitin Gadkari has proposed to construct an additional 60,000 km of National Highways in the next five years. Out of this, 2500 km are expressways or access-controlled Highways, 9000 km are economic corridors, 2000 km are Coastal and Port Connectivity highways, and 2000 km are border roads or strategic highways. The Road Transport and Highways Ministry also intends to improve connectivity for 100 tourist destinations and construct Bypasses for 45 towns and cities during this period.

Also, the ministry targets the adaptation of more electric vehicles over the next five years to promote clean energy and reduce carbon emissions, as envisioned by Nitin Gadkari.

Apart from this, the government's introduction of FASTag has shown a significant jump in toll collection, further helping the government generate revenue from tolls.

Total length of Highways in India increased by about 59 per cent in last 9 years

In the last nine years, the total length of the National Highways in the country has increased by about 59 per cent, making India the nation with the second-largest road network after the United States. According to data released by the ministry, in 2013–14, the length of the National Highways stood at 91,287 km, which increased to 1,45,240 km in 2022–23. Notably, the total length of four-lane NH more than doubled from 18,371 km to 44,654 km in the last nine years.