Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has said that India’s road infrastructure will match that of the United States within the next two years, thanks to the massive expansion and upgrades being undertaken across the country.
Gadkari emphasized the transformational scale of ongoing infrastructure projects under the Modi government. “The question is not about a facelift, it has already changed. The main picture is yet to start. Projects in the pipeline are progressing rapidly. In another two years, Indian road infrastructure will be similar to that of America,” he asserted.
#WATCH | Union Minister Nitin Gadkari says,” The projects in the pipeline are running at such a pace that within two years, our road infrastructure will be like that of America….” pic.twitter.com/9QrRsKOATD
— ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2025
Infrastructure Overhaul Reducing Logistics Costs
Gadkari said that the rapid road development has helped lower India’s logistics costs — a key factor in boosting economic competitiveness. “Earlier, logistics costs were around 16%. Due to traffic congestion, poor road and port infrastructure, we were lagging. Now we’ve brought it down to 9%, which will improve our exports and benefit agriculture, manufacturing, and services,” he said.
For comparison, he noted that China’s logistics costs stand at 8%, while the US and European countries average around 12%.
Mega Projects Underway
Gadkari highlighted several major initiatives:
- 25 greenfield expressways
- A 3,000-km port connectivity highway
- Rs 1 lakh crore for roads connecting religious tourism circuits
- Development of 36 tunnels in Jammu and Kashmir — 23 completed, several others nearing completion
- Parvatmala Yojana — development of 15 ropeways
- 35 multi-modal logistics parks being established
He also mentioned efforts to connect major spiritual destinations, including the Char Dham and Buddhist circuits, with all-weather, high-quality roads.
A Decade of Accelerated Growth
Over the past ten years, India has made record-breaking strides in road development. Data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways shows:
- National Highway network has grown from 65,569 km in 2004 to 1,46,145 km in 2024
- Four-lane or higher National Highways surged from 18,371 km in 2014 to 48,422 km in 2024
- Operational High-Speed Corridors jumped from just 93 km in 2014 to 2,138 km in 2024
- Highway construction pace improved from 12.1 km/day in 2014–15 to 33.8 km/day in 2023–24
India now boasts the world’s second-largest road network, and the government’s push under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (NMP)—launched in 2021—has further streamlined infrastructure coordination across ministries.
