India’s ambitious road development plans

India continues to develop its road network, with the country’s ambitious plans moving ahead. Contracts for 6,320km of road projects have so far been awarded by the current Indian Government. This is for the first phase of the programme and the work is worth a massive US$20.95 billion in all. However the entire programme of road development will cover some 84,000km of roads and will be worth an eye-popping $109.1 billion. The programme is prioritising areas of India that have not been covered by previous road-building projects. The focus will be on improving roads in border areas with India’s neighbours, as well as upgrading connections to rural areas that currently have minimal transport links. Included in the first phase of the project will be improvements to 2,000km of roads along India’s border areas as well as a further 2,000km of roads connecting to the country’s coastal areas and ports.