Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently said that India’s road infrastructure will be comparable to America’s in the next two years. He explained that the government has significantly increased spending on roads and highways over the past decade.
When asked when Indian roads would be completely transformed, he responded:
“The question is not about the facelift, it has already changed. You have just watched the news reel, the main picture is yet to start. The projects in the pipeline are progressing rapidly. In another two years, you will be able to see that Indian road infrastructure will be similar to that of America.”
He added that some American visitors even remarked,
“Some people from America met me and said our infrastructure is better than America.”
Gadkari pointed out that improved roads have helped lower the cost of logistics in India, which in turn boosts export competitiveness. Earlier, logistics costs in India were around 16%, compared to 8% in China and about 12% in the US and European countries. Now, with better road networks, the cost has been reduced to 9%.
Talking about upcoming developments, he mentioned that work is underway on 25 greenfield expressways, a 3,000 km highway network for port connectivity, and road projects worth ₹1 lakh crore that will link various religious and tourist circuits.
