National Highway Construction Delays Persist as Government Rolls Out AI-Based Traffic Management

The government has informed Parliament that a significant number of National Highway (NH) projects under construction have crossed their original completion schedules. According to Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, 629 out of 1,191 ongoing NH projects have exceeded their planned timelines.

The update was shared in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on July 22, 2026. The government also provided details on contractor penalties, traffic management initiatives, road safety measures and FASTag adoption.

National Highway Projects Delayed Beyond Original Completion Schedule

There are currently 1,191 National Highway projects under construction that have not yet reached any stage of completion. Of these, 629 projects have spilled beyond their originally scheduled completion dates.

This means more than half of the ongoing projects are running behind their initial timelines. The government did not specify the reasons for the delays in its parliamentary response.

Government Penalises 103 Highway Contractors for Poor-Quality Work

In a separate reply, Gadkari said the government had taken action against contractors and concessionaires for quality-related issues. Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, a total of 103 contractors and concessionaires were blacklisted or penalised for poor-quality work in National Highway construction projects.

The action reflects ongoing efforts to improve quality standards in highway development. Monitoring and enforcement measures continue to be applied across infrastructure projects.

Advanced Traffic Management System Rollout on National Highways

The government is implementing a phased roadmap for deploying Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) across four-lane and above National Highways and Expressways. The initiative covers approximately 52,647 km of the national road network.

The roadmap includes the establishment of Local, Regional and National Command and Control Centres to support centralised monitoring, traffic analytics, incident management and coordinated response mechanisms. A Unified ATMS Software Platform is also being introduced to ensure interoperability, scalability and standardised service delivery across the network.

AI-Based Black Corridor Identification and FASTag Annual Pass Adoption

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has identified 6,358 black corridors based on accident information available through the Electronic Detailed Accident Report system for the period 2023-2025. These corridors represent continuous highway stretches meeting prescribed accident criteria and have been identified using AI-based tools.

Separately, the FASTag Annual Pass scheme for non-commercial cars, jeeps and vans has seen significant adoption since its introduction on August 15, 2025. As of June 2026, more than 77 lakh annual passes had been issued, generating 63 crore transactions, while annual pass usage accounted for around 33% of all electronic toll collection transactions in these vehicle categories.

Read More: NHAI Launches Digital Local Toll Pass and MargMitra.

Conclusion

Parliamentary data highlights both progress and challenges in India's highway infrastructure programme. While more than half of the ongoing National Highway projects have exceeded their original completion schedules, the government continues to expand traffic management and road safety initiatives.

The deployment of ATMS technology, AI-based identification of accident-prone corridors and enforcement actions against contractors form part of broader efforts to improve highway operations. Meanwhile, the growing adoption of FASTag Annual Passes indicates increasing use of digital tolling solutions across the National Highway network.

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