Road Transport in India
Geography › Transport, Communication and International Trade · Topic 19.2
India has one of the largest road networks in the world, more than 63 lakh km, carrying most of the country's passengers and about two-thirds of its freight. Roads are classified as national highways, state highways, district roads and rural roads. National highways, about 1.46 lakh km in 2025, are only a small part of the length but carry about 40 per cent of the traffic. Bharatmala, expressways and rural road schemes are the main programmes.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Transport, Communication and International Trade
At a Glance
- Network More than 63 lakh km; second largest
- National highways About 1.46 lakh km (2025)
- Expressways About 3,050 km at end of 2025
- Golden Quadrilateral 5,846 km linking four metros
- Longest highway NH 44, Srinagar to Kanyakumari
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Transport, Communication and International Trade
Where Does It Fit?
This is the second topic of the macro on transport, communication and international trade. The previous topic described the modes of land transport in general, and this one focuses on India’s roads. The next topic covers the railways. Previous topic: Land Transport and Pipelines. Next topic: Rail Transport in India.
How Are Roads Classified in India?
| Category | Maintained by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| National Highways (NH) | Central government, through the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI, operational since 1995), the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the BRO | Inter-state movement and defence; link state capitals, major cities and ports; about 2 per cent of road length but about 40 per cent of road traffic |
| State Highways (SH) | State governments | Link state capitals with district headquarters and important towns |
| Major District Roads | States and local bodies | Link district headquarters with important nodes in the district; about 14 per cent of the road length |
| Rural roads | Panchayats and states, with central funds under PMGSY | Connect villages; about 80 per cent of road length |
| Border and strategic roads | Border Roads Organisation (BRO, 1960) | Roads in the northern and north-eastern border areas, such as Chandigarh–Manali–Leh at an average altitude of about 4,270 m, and snow clearance |
The oldest great road is the Shahi road built by Sher Shah Suri, which the British called the copper coins; silver rupee Roads Grand Trunk Road, Agra to Jodhpur and Chittor, Lahore…">Grand Trunk Road, from Kolkata to Peshawar, and now from Amritsar to Kolkata. The highway length has grown from about 19,700 km in 1951 to about 1.46 lakh km in 2025, which is a rise of more than 60 per cent in a decade, and roads carry a majority of passengers and about two-thirds of freight.
What Are the Main Highway Projects?
- Golden Quadrilateral: 5,846 km of 4- and 6-lane roads connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, completed in about 2012, reducing time and cost between the metros.
- North–South and East–West Corridors: the North–South corridor links Srinagar with Kanyakumari with a spur from Kochi to Salem, about 4,000 km; the East–West corridor links Silchar in Assam with Porbandar in Gujarat, about 3,600 km. NH 44, from Srinagar to Kanyakumari, is the longest national highway.
- Bharatmala Pariyojana (2017): an umbrella programme for economic corridors, feeder routes, border and coastal roads, port connectivity and expressways. Phase I planned about 34,800 km; by September 2025 about 26,400 km had been awarded and about 21,200 km completed, so the target date has slipped.
- Expressways: access-controlled highways grew from under 100 km in 2014 to about 3,050 km by the end of 2025, including the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, the Purvanchal and Bundelkhand expressways in Uttar Pradesh, and the target is about 18,000 km by 2028–29.
- Special structures: the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang, the Zojila tunnel under construction, and the Atal Setu sea bridge in Mumbai, as in Passes of the Himalayas and Their Significance.
- Rural roads: the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, started in 2000, connects habitations with all-weather roads.
What Are the Problems and Reforms?
Despite the progress, road density is uneven: it is high in Kerala, Goa, Delhi and the Ganga plain and low in the hills, the north-east and the desert. Roads are congested near towns, trucks are slow, and freight is moved by road in much higher share than the cost and the emissions would justify. Road safety is a major problem: India records around 1.7 lakh road deaths a year, among the highest in the world, and the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 raised penalties and set up measures such as the Good Samaritan protection. Electronic tolling through FASTag became mandatory in 2021 and the government is moving to satellite-based tolling. Other policies include the vehicle scrappage policy, the push for electric vehicles and the use of green highways with plantations along the roads.
As an analytical point, roads gave India its connectivity and opened up the hinterland, as in Rural Settlements in India, but the heavy dependence on trucks means a higher logistics cost and more pollution than a rail-based system. The future priority is a multimodal system, in which highways link ports, railway freight corridors and inland waterways, which is the purpose of the PM Gati Shakti plan and the National Logistics Policy, as in Rail Transport in India.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Facts Classification and corridors asked
- Schemes Bharatmala and PMGSY
- Issue Safety and logistics cost
What Came Next?
The next topic describes rail transport in India. Next topic: Rail Transport in India.
Key People and Terms
- NHAI National Highways Authority of India
- BRO Border Roads Organisation
- Expressway Access-controlled high-speed road
- FASTag Electronic toll tag
- PMGSY Rural road scheme
- Bharatmala Highway development programme
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- NH are 2 per cent of length but 40 per cent of traffic.
- GQ is 5,846 km.
- NH 44 is the longest.
- BRO was set up in 1960.
- Rural roads are about 80 per cent of length.
Do Not Confuse With
- Golden Quadrilateral and North-South Corridor Four metros versus Srinagar to Kanyakumari
- NHAI and BRO Civil highways versus border roads
- State highway and district road Capitals to towns versus district links
Memory Hook
Four metros in a quadrilateral, one NH from Srinagar to the tip, rural roads by PMGSY, borders by BRO.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for development and problems of roads. These points add depth.
- Growth Highways and expressways
- Gaps Safety, rural, hill roads
- Shift Multimodal logistics
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Describe the road network of India and discuss the major programmes and problems of road transport.”
How to Answer
- Classes NH to rural roads.
- Projects GQ, corridors, Bharatmala.
- Problems Safety and congestion.
- Reform Multimodal system.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
How are roads classified in India?
Roads in India are classified as National Highways, built and maintained by the central government, State Highways, Major District Roads and Rural Roads, which are the responsibility of the states and local bodies. The Border Roads Organisation builds strategic roads in the border areas.
What is the Golden Quadrilateral?
The Golden Quadrilateral is a 5,846 kilometre network of four and six-lane highways connecting the four metropolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. It was built under the National Highways Development Project and completed in about 2012, reducing the time and cost of movement between the major cities.
Which is the longest national highway in India?
National Highway 44, running from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, is the longest national highway in India, a part of the North–South Corridor. The East–West Corridor links Silchar in Assam with Porbandar in Gujarat.
What is Bharatmala?
Bharatmala Pariyojana is an umbrella highway programme launched in 2017 to build economic corridors, feeder and inter-corridor routes, border and coastal roads, port connectivity and expressways. Its first phase planned about 34,800 kilometres, of which about 21,000 kilometres had been completed by September 2025.
What is the role of the Border Roads Organisation?
The Border Roads Organisation, established in 1960, builds and maintains strategically important roads along India's northern and north-eastern borders, often in high mountains, such as the road from Manali to Leh. It also clears snow and builds tunnels and bridges, which helps defence preparedness and the development of remote areas.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 National highways form a small part of road length but carry a large share of traffic.
About 2 per cent of length and 40 per cent of traffic.
2 The Golden Quadrilateral links Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
It is 5,846 km long.
3 Rural roads make up about 80 per cent of India's road length.
PMGSY funds many of them.
4 The BRO was established in 1990.
It was established in 1960.
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