NEW DELHI : The momentum gained in building highways over the past few years has hit a roadblock with the pace of construction falling by more than 20% in 2021-22 over the previous year.
Only 10,457 km of national highways were laid in FY22 as compared with 13,327 km in 2020-21, according to data from the ministry of road transport and highways.
Officials said disruptions from the pandemic and an unusually long rainy season prevented the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) from completing the targeted 12,000 km last year.
However, its award of highways to be constructed in FY23 is at an all-time high. “A mix of covid and a long rainy season, particularly towards the end of the year in November and December, slowed highway construction," said road transport and highways secretary Giridhar Aramane. “Also, as most roads in the country use bitumen for construction, unless the surface is completely dry, construction cannot restart." Aramane said a lot of construction in FY22 was complex work involving four or six lane roads. “We would have constructed almost 80% more roads last year if length were measured in terms of separate lanes and not merely the length of highways," he said.