India to get 5 new highways that would reduce travel time

Recently, the Highways Ministry of India has identified five greenfield road networks that will help to connect major industrial and manufacturing locations of India. According to the ministry, the networks will help to reduce existing distance. The new routes identified are namely – Bhatinda-Kandla, Chennai-Salem, Raipur-Vishakhapatnam, Bhatinda-Ajmer, and Ambala-Katputli. The ministry has already identified two more stretches between Durg-Aurang in Chhattisgarh, and Mangalore-Chitradurga in Karnataka.
Also, the government had announced new greenfield expressway that would connect Gurugram with Mumbai, which will reduce almost 200 km of the distance. Moreover, the ministry is also planning to build more greenfield highways, which would be in straight alignment instead of expanding on the already existing corridors.

The one between Bhatinda and Kandla will pass through Hanumangarh, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Barmer, and Sanchore; while the one between Bhatinda and Ajmer will reduce 120 km by passing through Sirsa and Sikar. Also, according to sources Chennai and Salem greenfield corridor will reduce 70 km distance.

According to an official in the ministry, "One of the main focus of these new alignments will be to provide connectivity to some of the underdeveloped areas as highway connectivity will push development in those regions. Second, new roads will free up the congested highways and thereby improve the traffic flow.”

The plan to build new highways has been made after keeping cost in mind, as expansion of existing highways will involve land acquisition, building safe vehicle passages, and deforestation, which would then require planting trees elsewhere. The total cost of which would finally be somewhere close to the cost of building a new highway.