India's highway construction slows, but Centre aims for a final push

High spend While construction and awards of highways have been slow this fiscal, government has kept pace in terms of capital spending, chiefly to ensure that more projects get off the ground.

- Subhash Narayan

Construction of new highways in India slowed in the first nine months of 2024-25 (April-December 2024) with the government more occupied in maintaining existing roads and launching complex projects, per government officials and new data.

The ministry of road transport and highways, however, is expected to pick up pace in the remaining two months of this financial year and may even seek more funds than budgeted, a government official said.

Construction of highways fell 5.8% to 5,853 km in April-December from 6,216 km in the first nine months of 2023-24, shows data from the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH).

Government awards for new highways also slowed, to 3,100 km between April and December, as against 3,111 km over the corresponding year-earlier period, which itself was a disappointing pace.