Construction of national highways in India hit an all time high in 2017-18 with 26 kilometres of road built per day, Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday.
Though the construction figures were the highest, it was far below the target of 41km per day set in 2017.
“There is momentum in the sector. Both the award and construction figures have gone up. If we maintain it, we are hopeful of constructing 41 km highways per day this fiscal,” Gadkari said at a press conference.
While the ministry awarded 17,055 km of highways in 2017-18 as against 15,948 km in 2016-17, the construction has increased to 9,829 km, up from 8,231 km in 2016-17.
“Government’s policy initiatives have helped bring the momentum back in the sector. It’s not just construction but the spending has also increased,” said Abhaya Agarwal, partner (infrastructure), EY India.