India investing in major highway development programme

A major programme of highway investment is being planned in India. The country's Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved US$2.34 billion of works project to widen 676km of national highways (NHs) in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The highways to be four-laned are the 27km Kazahakkottum-Mukkola section of the National Highway (NH) 47 in Kerala, the 95km section of the NH65 from Ambala-Kaithal in Haryana, and the 99km section of the NH 163 from Yadgiri-Warangal in Andhra Pradesh. They also include the 146km section of NH 56 from Sultanpur-Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and the 159km stretch of the NH 15 from Bikaner-Falodi  in Rajasthan. In addition, the Hapur bypass on NH 24 will be expanded to six to eight lanes, while NH 58 on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border and NH 235 linking the two states will be six-laned, with works involving 150km of road.