India has a road network which is 3 million kilometres long. This makes it the third largest in the world. The density of this system in India is higher then it is in the US (0.66 km to 0.65 km per square kilometre).
 |
| Highway Map of India |
Part of these roads is highways but the condition of these highways is very bad. The government today plans to invest in infrastructure in order to modernise the roads. The government is ready to pay more than 70 billion US dollars for modernization of the roads in the next three years. However according to the calculations of international specialists this sum is way from enough. They think that 1.7 trillion dollars are needed for the full renovation of India's infrastructure. However , it is obvious that India is in big need for new, more modern roads. They are the key to economical growth and if the government wants to achieve such a goal they will need to spend some money.
India has a big historical background in road building as it has in almost every possible sphere. The first roads on the subcontinent were built 4000 years BC. They connected cities like Harrapa and Mohenjodaro. Later, in the first century AC the famous silk road was built. It passed the north lands of India and connected India and China with Europe.
 |
| The New National Highway |
Today India has several major highways like North South corridor, the Golden Quadrilateral and etc. They are part of the national highway system ,which is very small part of the total road system, approximately 2%, but it handles around 40% of the whole traffic of the country.
Today India has developed a special project called “National Highway Development Project” which idea is to concentrate the main effords of the Indian government in highway modernization. We will have to wait to see what will come out of this major project.
