All India Transporters Welfare Association

Roads to India’s Growth: The R....

India’s growth story is increasingly being written on its roads. What was once seen as basic transport infrastructure has now evolved into a powerful engine of economic expansion, social inclusion, and national integration. The country’s rapidly expanding network of highways and expressways is quietly but decisively reshaping how India moves, trades, and connects—across metros, small towns, and even the most remote villages. For decades, inadequate road infrastructure limited progress in many parts of the country. Narrow, congested routes slowed travel, raised costs, and restricted access to essential services. In rural and semi-urban India, distance often dictated opportunity. That reality is changing. Widened highways, smoother surfaces, and access-controlled expressways are dramatically improving mobility. Businesses are operating more efficiently, and people can now reach schools, hospitals, markets, and workplaces in a fraction of the time it once took. These improvements are not abstract achievements—they are directly enhancing everyday life. At the core of this transformation is a massive expansion of India’s highway network. Over the past decade, the scale of road development has accelerated at an unprecedented pace. Under the leadership of the National Highways Authority of India, flagship initiatives such as the Bharatmala Pariyojana aim to construct more than 83,000 kilometres of highways to improve national connectivity. The impact of this push is already visi....