India's National Highway network has expanded from 91,287 kilometres in 2014 to over 1,46,572 kilometres in FY 2025-26 — a growth of nearly 61 per cent in 12 years — according to an official factsheet issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on 14 June 2026. Construction pace has more than tripled, rising from 11.6 km per day in 2013-14 to nearly 34 km per day in 2025.

Bharatmala Pariyojana: The Backbone of the Expansion

The flagship Bharatmala Pariyojana, approved by the Government of India in October 2017, remains the centrepiece of this transformation. The programme envisions the development of 34,800 kilometres of National Highway corridors at an estimated outlay of ₹5.35 lakh crore. As of March 2026, projects covering 26,425 kilometres had been awarded and 22,590 kilometres had been constructed, according to the ministry's factsheet.

The programme has, according to the government, significantly reduced logistics costs, improved access to remote and strategically important regions, and contributed to regional economic balance and national integration.

Delhi–Mumbai Expressway: India's Longest Access-Controlled Corridor

The Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, with a planned length of approximately 1,386 kilometres and an estimated project cost of around ₹1 lakh crore, is set to become the country's longest access-controlled expressway upon completion. The corridor links Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first completed section — the 246-km Delhi–Dausa–Lalsot stretch in Rajasthan — on 12 February 2023, at a cost of over ₹12,000 crore. The 87-km Vadodara–Bharuch stretch in Gujarat followed on 22 February 2024. Most recently, on 5 June 2026, the Prime Minister inaugurated two additional Gujarat sections: the 36-km Kim–Ena section and the 27.5-km Gandeva–Ena section.

Key Expressways Reshaping Regional Connectivity

Several other expressways have materially altered travel times and logistics across India's major corridors. The Delhi–Meerut Expressway, spanning approximately 82 kilometres and developed at a cost of around ₹8,346 crore, has significantly cut commute times within the National Capital Region (NCR).

The Dwarka Expressway, stretching approximately 29 kilometres at a cost of nearly ₹9,000 crore, has improved connectivity between Delhi and Gurugram. In southern India, the Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway — 118 kilometres long, built at approximately ₹8,480 crore and inaugurated on 12 March 2023 — has cut travel time between the two cities from nearly three hours to about 75 minutes.

The Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor, a 213-km six-lane access-controlled highway developed at a cost of ₹12,000 crore, was inaugurated on 14 April 2026. The corridor has reduced travel time between Delhi and Dehradun from over 6 hours to around 2.5 hours.

What the Numbers Signal

The tripling of daily construction pace — from under 12 km to 34 km per day — is among the more striking operational metrics in the factsheet. This comes amid broader government efforts to reduce India's logistics costs as a share of GDP, which remain higher than in advanced economies. Notably, the expansion has been concentrated on access-controlled expressways and economic corridors, reflecting a shift from mere network length to quality and freight efficiency.

With the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway still under partial completion and Bharatmala's remaining kilometres to be awarded, the pace and scale of India's highway build-out is expected to continue through the next planning cycle.