India’s National Highway network has expanded significantly over the past decade, reaching 1,46,572 km by March 2026, compared with 91,287 km in March 2014, according to government data.
The increase represents nearly 61% growth in the National Highway network over the period. The latest figures were highlighted in a government update on India’s highway infrastructure and green-road initiatives.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Issue/Event: India’s National Highway network reaches 1,46,572 km.
Location: Across India.
Authority/Organisation: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Action Taken: Expansion of the National Highway network alongside capacity upgrades and green-highway initiatives.
Impact: Improved road connectivity, higher highway capacity and greater focus on sustainable infrastructure.
The expansion has been aimed at improving connectivity between major cities, industrial centres, rural regions, markets and ports. A larger highway network also supports the movement of passengers and freight across longer distances.
Alongside the expansion in total highway length, the quality and capacity of the network have also changed. Government data released earlier this year showed that the length of four-lane-and-above National Highways, including access-controlled high-speed corridors and expressways, increased from 18,371 km in 2014 to 48,568 km.
The proportion of National Highways with less than two lanes also declined from 30% in 2014 to 9%, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
Road infrastructure directly affects the movement of people, agricultural produce, industrial goods and commercial freight. The growth in highway length means more regions are connected to the national road network, while the increase in higher-capacity roads can improve movement along important corridors. For businesses, improved road connectivity can support more predictable logistics and access to markets. For travellers, wider and higher-capacity highways can improve long-distance connectivity, although the benefits vary by corridor and project. The environmental component is also becoming increasingly important. The government's green-highway programme seeks to combine infrastructure development with plantation, resource-efficient construction and monitoring of roadside green cover.
The government is simultaneously placing greater emphasis on environmental measures along highway corridors. A September 28 update said more than 3.61 crore saplings had been planted across approximately 1.32 lakh km of National Highways over the past five years.
These initiatives are being implemented under the Green Highways Policy, 2015, which focuses on plantation, maintenance, reduction of dust and air pollution, soil-erosion control and improving the environmental conditions around highway corridors.
The latest infrastructure data therefore points to two parallel developments: expansion of India's road network and increasing attention to the environmental management of those corridors.
