:Expressways of India
{{short description|Overview and list of expressways in India}}
{{See also|National highways of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox highway system
| title = Expressways of India
| agencyname =
| country = IND
| type = M
| caption = Sign for National Expressway in India
and
Sign for NE1, NE2
| maint = Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
| length_km = 6059
| formed =
}}
The expressways of India are the highest class of roads in India. As per NHAI and Indian Roads Congress, expressways are access controlled highways with a divided carriageway, designed for high speed vehicular movement and heavy traffic.https://tis.nhai.gov.in/UploadGazatte/gazatte_notification.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=May 2025}} As of December 2024, the total length of expressways in India was {{convert|6,059|km|mi|abbr=on}}, with {{convert|11,127.69|km|mi|abbr=on}} under construction. In expressways there is a central reservation or median that separates the flow travelling in opposite directions. Entrance and exits are provided only by grade separated interchanges. The interchanges may be system interchanges (such as cloverleaf, three-way, trumpet) used with other national or state highways or be service interchanges (such as SPDI) used with smaller roads.https://law.resource.org/pub/in/bis/irc/irc.gov.in.sp.099.2013.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=May 2025}} In contrast, National highways may or may not be divided by a median and may or may not have access control.https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/1651/1/AAA1956____48.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=May 2025}} Some highways, built by State Governments, which may be fully access controlled or may be limited access controlled, are declared or named as expressways by their respective State Governments.https://nhai.gov.in/assets/pdf/highway%20rating%20notice-with%20Attachements.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=May 2025}}
File:Delhi-Meerut-Express-Highway-India.png, one of the widest expressway in India with 14 lanes]]
File:Delhi Noida Direct flyway (Uttar Pradesh - 2011-06-18).jpg), India's first 8-lane expressway]]
File:Express highway.jpg, India's first 6-lane expressway]]
As of 2024, the longest expressway in India is the partially-opened Delhi–Mumbai Expressway (Phase-III) at {{convert|1015|km|mi|abbr=on}}, which was opened in December 18, 2024,{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/80km-route-of-del-mum-eway-opens-to-boost-connectivity/articleshow/116412281.cms | title=80km route of Del-Mum eway opens, to boost connectivity | work=The Times of India | date=18 December 2024 }} and the widest expressway is the Delhi – Gurgaon section of the Dwarka Expressway with 16 lanes, which was opened in 2024.
Development and timeline
Greenfield Expressways in India are designed as 12-lane wide Expressways with the initial construction of 8 lanes with maximum speed set as 120 km/h for all type of vehicles. Land for 4-lane future expansion is reserved in the center of the expressways. Greenfield Expressways are designed to avoid inhabited areas and go through new alignments to bring development to new areas and to reduce land acquisition costs and construction timelines. The Delhi–Mumbai Expressway is an example of a new 12-lane approach with initial 8-lane construction.
Bharatmala is an ecosystem of road development which includes tunnels, bridges, elevated corridors, flyovers, overpass, interchanges, bypasses, ring roads etc. to provide shortest & optimized connectivity to multiple places, it is a centrally-sponsored and funded road and highways project of the Government of India{{Citation |title=Bharat Mala: PM Narendra Modi's planned Rs 14,000 crore road from Gujarat to Mizoram |date=29 April 2015 |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-04-29/news/61652753_1_crore-road-road-connectivity-road-network |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502054620/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-04-29/news/61652753_1_crore-road-road-connectivity-road-network |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 May 2015 |work=The Economic Times |place=New Delhi}} with a target of constructing 83,677 km{{Cite web |date=30 October 2017 |title=Government to infuse massive Rs 7 trn to build 83,677 km of roads over 5 years |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/government-to-infuse-massive-rs-7-trn-to-build-83677-km-of-roads-over-5-years/911652/ |access-date=20 July 2020 |website=The Financial Express |language=en-US}} of new highways over the next five years, was started in 2017 as well as conversion of 4 lane highways into 6 lane Brownfield expressways & some state highways into NH/NE.{{Cite web |title=Bharatmala Phase-I |url=https://morth.nic.in/bharatmala-phase-i#:~:text=The%20Bharatmala%20(approved%20for%20estimated,amount%20collected%20from%20toll%20(Rs. |publisher=Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (India)}} Phase I of the Bharatmala project involves the construction of 34,800 km of highways (including the remaining projects under NHDP) at an estimated cost of ₹5.35 lakh crore by 2021–22.{{Cite web |title=Bharatmala Pariyojana – A Stepping Stone towards New India |url=https://www.india.gov.in/spotlight/bharatmala-pariyojana-stepping-stone-towards-new-india |access-date=18 January 2018 |website=National Portal of India |language=en}}
Brownfield National Highway Project is the widening/re-development of existing National Highways. The upgradation of highway is a Brownfield Expressway Project which has high traffic demand and is a part of both rural and urban setup. The upgradation is carried from 4 Lane to 6 Lane on EPC mode such as NH-709A.{{Cite web |title=Brownfield National Highway Project |url=https://portfolio.cept.ac.in/ft/construction-project-formulation-appraisal-cm4002-monsoon-2020-4670/brownfield-national-highway-project-monsoon-2020-pcm20400 |access-date=2 August 2022 |website=CEPT}} 43,000 km state highways have been converted to National Highways in last 8 years.{{Cite web |title=43,000 km state roads converted to national highways in last eight years |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2022/apr/02/43000-km-state-roads-converted-to-national-highways-in-last-eight-years-2437007.html |access-date=2 April 2022 |website=The New Indian Express|date=2 April 2022 }}
The majority of the investment required for constructing expressways comes from the central government. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are the only states which are investing in building expressways through dedicated expressway corporations.{{Cite news |date=7 May 2019 |title=Maharashtra, UP to drive state-led capex in road sector in next 3 yrs |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/maharashtra-up-to-drive-state-led-capex-in-road-sector-in-next-3-yrs/articleshow/69219363.cms |access-date=1 June 2019}}
The National Highways Authority of India operating under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will be in-charge of the construction and maintenance of expressways.{{Cite news |last=Dash |first=Dipak Kumar |date=23 November 2009 |title=By 2022, govt to lay 18,637 km of expressways |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/by-2022-govt-to-lay-18637km-of-expressways/articleshow/5259102.cms}} The National Highways Development Project by the government of India aims to expand the country's current expressway network and plans to add an additional 18,637 km of greenfield expressways by 2025 apart from building 4 lane greenfield national highways of 50,000 km length.{{Cite news |last=Kumar |first=Ashutosh |title=Expressway cost pegged at Rs20 crore/km |work=Daily News and Analysis |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_expressway-cost-pegged-at-rs20-crore-km_1381235 |access-date=16 September 2016}}{{Cite news |title=Working to develop 200,000 km national highway network by 2025: Gadkari |work=business standard |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/working-to-develop-200-000-km-national-highway-network-by-2025-gadkari-122013100086_1.html |access-date=31 January 2022}} Currently NHDP Phase-6 and NHDP Phase-7 construction is going on along with Bharatmala project.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is set to unveil a plan for constructing 50,000 km of new expressways by 2037 in the first 100 days of the new government.The program, replacing Bharatmala, aligns with Vision 2047 and aims to reduce logistic costs and modernize road infrastructure.{{Cite news |date=2024-01-05 |title=Govt's Vision '47 set to target 50,000km of expressways |url=https://www.livemint.com/news/india/govts-vision-47-set-to-target-50-000km-of-expressways-11704477426174.html |access-date=2024-06-04}}
=Economic Corridors/Industrial Corridors=
Economic Corridors of India or Industrial Corridors of India, 44 corridors {{cvt|26200|km|mi}} were identified and {{cvt|9000|km|mi}} will be taken up in phase-I, they exclude 6 National Corridors, they include:[http://pibphoto.nic.in/documents/rlink/2017/oct/p2017102503.pdf Bharatmala presentation] 66 {{cvt|8000|km|mi}} inter-corridors (IC) & 116 {{cvt|7500|km|mi}} feeder routes (FR) were identified for Bharatmala.
List of 44 economic corridors (EC):
{{Div col|colwidth=16em}}
- EC-1: Mumbai-Kolkata
- EC-2: Mumbai-Kanyakumari
- EC-3: Amritsar-Jamnagar
- EC-4: Kandla-Sagar
- EC-5: Agra-Mumbai
- EC-6: Pune-Vijayawada
- EC-7: Raipur-Dhanbad
- EC-8: Ludhiana-Ajmer
- EC-9: Surat-Nagpur
- EC-10: Hyderabad-Panaji
- EC-11: Jaipur-Indore
- EC-12: Solapur-Nagpur
- EC-13: Sagar-Varanasi
- EC-14: Kharagpur-Siliguri
- EC-15: Raipur-Visakhapatnam
- EC-16: Delhi-Lucknow
- EC-17: Chennai-Kurnool
- EC-18: Indore-Nagpur
- EC-19: Chennai-Madurai
- EC-20: Mangaluru-Raichur
- EC-21: Tuticorin-Cochin
- EC-22: Solapur-Bellary-Gooty
- EC-23: Hyderabad-Aurangabad
- EC-24: Delhi-Kanpur
- EC-25: Tharad-Phalodi
- EC-26: Nagaur-Mandi Dabwali
- EC-27: Sagar-Lucknow
- EC-28: Sambalpur-Paradeep
- EC-29: Amreli-Vadodra
- EC-30: Godhra-Khargone
- EC-31: Sambalpur-Ranchi
- EC-32: Bengaluru-Malappuram
- EC-33: Raisen-Pathariya
- EC-34: Chennai-Bengaluru-Mangaluru
- EC-35: Chittaurgarh-Indore
- EC-36: Bilaspur-New Delhi
- EC-37: Solapur-Mahabubnagar
- EC-38: Bengaluru-Nellore
- EC-39: Ajmer-Udaipur
- EC-40: Sirsa-Delhi
- EC-41: Sirohi-Beawar
- EC-42: Jaipur-Agra
- EC-43: Pune-Aurangabad
- EC-44: North East Corridor
{{div col end}}
= Timeline of total length of Expressways =
File:11 Industrial Corridors.png
{{Bar chart
| title = Total length of Expressways in India in km
| bar_width = 40
| float = middle
| width_units = em
| label_type = Year
|label1 = 2024–2025 (Preliminary)
| label2 = 2023–2024
| label3 = 2022–2023
| label4 = 2021–2022
| label5 = 2020–2021
| label6 = 2019–2020
| label7 = 2018–2019
| label8 = 2017–2018
| label9 = 2016–2017
| label10 = 2015–2016
| label11 = 2014–2015
| label12 = 2013–2014
| label13 = 2012–2013
| label14 = 2011–2012
| label15 = 2010–2011
| label16 = 2009–2010
| label17 = 2008–2009
| label18 = 2007–2008
| label19 = 2006–2007
| label20 = 2005–2006
| label21 = 2004–2005
| label22 = 2003–2004
| label23 = 2002–2003
| label24 = 2001–2002
| data_type = Total length
| data_max = 7000
| data1 = 6,059
| data2 = 5,145
| data3 = 3,629
| data4 = 2,501
| data5 = 2,002
| data6 = 1,989
| data7 = 1,762
| data8 = 1,323
| data9 = 1,021
| data10 = 1,021
| data11 = 1,021
| data12 = 1,004
| data13 = 988
| data14 = 580
| data15 = 580
| data16 = 534
| data17 = 438
| data18 = 384
| data19 = 384
| data20 = 343
| data21 = 253
| data22 = 160
| data23 = 160
| data24 = 33
}}
State-wise overview of expressways
{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}
List of operational expressways by state, as of March 2023:
| class="wikitable sortable"
! States ! data-sort-type="number" |Length (km/mi) ! Number of Expressways (by NHAI) |
| Uttar Pradesh (list)
|{{convert|1500|km|mi|abbr=on}} |8 |
| Rajasthan (list)
|{{convert|840|km|mi|abbr=on}} |3 |
| Maharashtra (list)
|{{convert|828.9|km|mi|abbr=on}} |6 |
| Haryana (list)
|{{convert|627|km|mi|abbr=on}} |7 |
| Madhya Pradesh (list)
|{{convert|271|km|mi|abbr=on}} |4 |
| Gujarat
|{{convert|262.4|km|mi|abbr=on}} |2 |
| Karnataka
|{{convert|251|km|mi|abbr=on}} |5 |
| Chhattisgarh (list)
|{{convert|191|km|mi|abbr=on}} |3 |
| West Bengal (list)
|{{convert|189|km|mi|abbr=on}} |3 |
| Telangana
|{{convert|169.6|km|mi|abbr=on}} |2 |
| Tamil Nadu
|94.8 km (58.9 mi) |2 |
| Jharkhand (list)
|{{convert|86|km|mi|abbr=on}} |1 |
| Bihar (list)
|{{convert|33|km|mi|abbr=on}} |2 |
| Uttarakhand
|{{convert|30.17|km|mi|abbr=on}} |2 |
| Punjab (list)
| | |
Expressways by NHAI
This list contains expressways built by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and declared or named as expressways by Government of India.
These Expressways are run through one or more states or UTs; some of these are designated with "NE" tag while some are not but both of the types are National Expressways.https://nhai.gov.in/nhai/sites/default/files/2020-08/Doc__3ddfd03e-c_.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=May 2025}}
| class="wikitable"
|+ Legends |
| {{legend inline|#fafafa|Fully operational}} {{legend inline|#FFFFc5|Under construction}} {{legend inline|#bcffc5|Partially operational and partially under construction}} {{legend inline|#D3D3D3|Planned but construction not started}} |
= Expressways designated with "NE" =
Spur Expressways are branch expressways from other expressways.
| class="wikitable sortable collapsible static-row-numbers"
|+ Spur Expressways ! Spur from ! Name ! Designation ! State(s)/ UT(s) ! data-sort-type="number" |Length (km/mi) ! Lanes ! Operational since ! Remarks |
| rowspan="1"| NE 4
|style="background-color: #ffffc5;"| Jaipur-Bandikui Expressway{{Cite news |date=2023-12-23 |title=Jaipur–Bandikui e-way to be completed by November '24 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/jaipurbandikui-e-way-to-be-completed-by-november-24/articleshow/106225311.cms |access-date=2024-05-24 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} |NE 4C | | 4 | 2025–12 | |
| rowspan="1"| NE 5
| style="background-color: #ffffc5;"| Nakodar–Amritsar Expressway | NE 5A | Punjab | 99 |4 | Expected: {{Date table sorting|January 2025}} | |
=Economic corridor expressways=
These expressways (all built by NHAI) are part of Economic corridors (EC) and have been declared or named as Expressway by Government of India.
=Other inter-state expressways=
The following list refers to the expressways which passing through more than one state/UT and connect places from different states/UTs. Bypass or spur expressways are not included in following list.
=Other state expressways by NHAI=
The following list refers to the expressways built by NHAI to connect areas within the state. Bypass or spur expressways are not included in following list.
=Bypass expressways=
Bypass Expressways such as ring roads, bypass roads, freeways and elevated roads are used to bypass city core traffic. These are declared as expressways by Government of India. These direct heavy traffic to the outskirts freeing city roads of traffic. This also allows outside traffic to directly pass the city instead of going through it further limiting traffic within a city.
File:Nehru Outer Ringroad near Narasinghi (2).jpg]]
{{Static row numbers}}
Expressways declared by state
These expressways are built by State Governments in their respective states and declared as expressways by that State Government, not by Government of India. Most of these highways contain characteristics of expressways.
| class="wikitable"
|+ Legends |
| {{legend inline|#fafafa|Fully operational}} {{legend inline|#FFFFc5|Under construction}} {{legend inline|#bcffc5|Partially operational and partially under construction}} {{legend inline|#D3D3D3|Planned but construction not started}} |
Other proposed or planned expressways
{{Static row numbers}}
See also
{{Portal|India|Transport|Roads|Railways}}
; Ring roads in India
; Similar rail development
- Future of rail transport in India, rail development
- List of high-speed railway lines in India
; Similar roads development
- Bharatmala
- Diamond Quadrilateral, Subsumed in Bharatmala
- Golden Quadrilateral, completed national road development connectivity older scheme
- National Highways Development Project, Subsumed in Bharatmala
- North–South and East–West Corridor, Subsumed in Bharatmala
- India–China Border Roads, Subsumed in Bharatmala
- Setu Bharatam, river road bridge development in India
- Char Dham Highway, a project under MoRTH
; Similar ports and river transport development
- Indian rivers interlinking project
- List of national waterways in India
- Sagar Mala project, national water port development connectivity scheme
; Similar air transport development
- Indian Human Spaceflight Programme
- UDAN, national airport development connectivity scheme
; Highways in India
; General
References
{{reflist|30em}}