Highway Projects – Parliament Told Over Half of Ongoing NH Works Behind Schedule
Highway Projects –India’s national highway development programme continues to expand, but a significant number of ongoing projects are facing delays beyond their initially planned completion timelines.
A large share of the national highway projects currently under construction have exceeded their original completion deadlines, the government informed Parliament on Wednesday. In a written response in the Rajya Sabha, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that 1,191 National Highway projects are presently under construction and have not yet reached completion. Among these, 629 projects have crossed their scheduled finishing dates. However, the government did not specify the reasons behind the delays.
Government Shares Update on Highway Construction
According to the minister, the figures reflect the current status of projects being executed across the country under the National Highway network. While several works continue to progress, more than half of the ongoing projects have extended beyond the timelines originally fixed during planning and execution.
The update was presented as part of a written reply in the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The response focused on the present status of highway construction without detailing individual project-wise causes for the delays.
Action Taken Against Contractors for Poor Performance
In another written reply, Gadkari informed Parliament that the government has acted against contractors and concessionaires found responsible for substandard execution of highway projects. Between the financial years 2023-24 and 2025-26, a total of 103 contractors or concessionaires were either blacklisted or penalised due to poor quality work during the construction of National Highways.
The government said these actions are intended to improve construction standards and strengthen accountability in infrastructure projects being carried out across the country.
Advanced Traffic Management System Expansion
The minister also outlined the government’s phased strategy for introducing Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) across four-lane and wider National Highways and Expressways covering nearly 52,647 kilometres.
The implementation plan includes the establishment of Local, Regional and National Command and Control Centres. These facilities are expected to support centralised traffic monitoring, incident management, traffic analysis and coordinated emergency response.
To ensure consistent operations across the highway network, the government is also rolling out a Unified ATMS Software Platform. The platform is designed with standardised protocols to support monitoring, enforcement, data integration and overall performance management while improving interoperability across different highway systems.
Thousands of Black Corridors Identified
Replying to another question, Gadkari said that accident records collected through the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) system between 2023 and 2025 have helped identify 6,358 black corridors across the country.
These stretches are continuous sections of National Highways that meet the criteria for black spots because of repeated accidents involving fatalities or serious injuries. The minister stated that artificial intelligence-based tools are being used to identify these corridors in real time, enabling authorities to prioritise safety improvements.
FASTag Annual Pass Records Strong Adoption
The minister also shared an update on the FASTag-based Annual Pass introduced for non-commercial cars, jeeps and vans. The scheme became operational on August 15, 2025, allowing eligible vehicle owners to purchase an annual pass for Rs 3,075 during the 2026-27 period.
The pass permits travel through National Highway and National Expressway toll plazas for one year or up to 200 toll plaza crossings, whichever comes first.
As of June 2026, more than 77 lakh annual passes had been issued, accounting for nearly 63 crore transactions at National Highway toll plazas. Gadkari informed Parliament that these annual passes currently represent around 33 per cent of all electronic toll collection transactions made by cars, jeeps and vans.