Upcoming swanky highways to have same speed limits as now

The maximum speed on the world-class highways coming up in India will remain at the existing 120kmph in the interest of safety, even though many of them have been tested for speeds as high as 160kmph

- Subhash Narayan

The Union road ministry has decided to retain the speed limit of 120kmph and 100kmph for expressways and highways, respectively, two people aware of the development said. However, the ministry will await an apex court verdict on this matter before making a notification.

In April 2018, the government set speed limits of 120kmph for expressways, 100kmph for national highways and 60kmph for urban roads. However, the Madras High Court quashed the order in 2021, stating these speeds were too high. The matter is now in the Supreme Court.

“The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has internally decided to keep speed limits on highways at the levels decided in 2018 to give more time for highway driving to get mature and disciplined," one of the two people cited above said on the condition of anonymity.