Roads in India : News & Discussions

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Dec 3, 2017
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Purvanchal Expressway, India’s longest expressway, in UP sees big private sector interest
As many as 12 top infrastructure companies have evinced interest in the construction of the country’s longest proposed expressway — the Purvanchal Expressway. The 341-km six-lane (expandable to eight lanes) access-controlled expressway from Lucknow to Ghazipur, to be built on the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode, will not only provide seamless connectivity to nine of the state’s predominantly agricultural districts to the state capital, but also connect them to national Capital Delhi via the 165-km Agra-Greater Noida Yamuna Expressway and 302-km Agra-Lucknow Expressway.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be `23,349 crore — `11,800 crore for construction and around `6,500 crore as the cost of land. The 12 companies that have placed technical bids for the project are Reliance Infratech, Larsen & Toubro, PNC Infratech, NCC (formerly Nagarjuna Construction Company), BSCPL Infrastructure (formerly B Seenaiah & Company (Projects)), Sadbhav Engineering, Oriental Structural Engineers, Ashoka Buildcon, KNR Constructions, Apco Infratech, Gayatri Projects and Afcons Infrastructure. These firms will place financial bids in June and the selected bidders are expected to start work in July after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the project.

Speaking to FE, UPEIDA CEO Awanish Awasthi said the last day for submitting the proposals is May 21 and added that almost 92% of the land required for the expressway has been acquired. While a consortium of scheduled commercial banks led by State Bank of India (SBI) has agreed to lend `8,500 crore for the project, the state government is scouting for cheaper credit from the market.
For this, the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) has invited ‘expression of interest’ (EOI) for part-financing of the civil construction work of the project from eligible domestic as well as international financial institutions as well as equity and pension funds and other funding agencies for providing alternative financial resources in the form of loan, investment or other forms of infrastructure-funding to the extent of `12,000 crore. The money would be repayable over 12 years period after a moratorium during construction period of three years (total period of 15 years).

The project, which is expected to transform the state’s most remote and under-developed eastern region has been divided into eight packages. While the first package of 40.47 km has attracted five bidders, the second package of 39.70 km has six bidders, third (41.70 km) five, fourth (43.70 km) five more. The fifth package of 54 km has four bidders, the sixth (28.70 km) has five, seventh (46.08 km) six and the eighth package of 47.97 km also has six bidders.
Purvanchal Expressway, India’s longest expressway, in UP sees big private sector interest
 
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Hybrid annuity model revives investments in India’s highways sector: Moody’s
The hybrid annuity model (HAM) to award road projects has encouraged investments in the sector, Moody’s Investors Service said.

Under HAM, a variant of public private partnership (PPP) launched in January 2016, the government bears 40% of the project cost and gives money to the developer. The rest comes from the developer over the execution period. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) collects toll and developers are given annual payments over a specified period.

“Private investment in highway projects had been declining in recent years, amid issues such as slow project approvals and cost overruns, but the Indian government’s introduction of the hybrid annuity model (HAM) in 2016— as a variation of PPPs—has triggered new investment inflows,” Moody’s said in Infrastructure - India: Highway PPPs gaining momentum, supported by government initiatives.

Increased use of PPPs in highways supports private sector investment in other sectors, benefiting from government initiatives and improving the credit profiles of infrastructure developers.

Sectors such as ports, shipping and railways have also started looking at improving the PPP framework to attract private investment to fund India’s substantial infrastructure needs, Moody’s vice-president and senior analyst Abhishek Tyagi wrote in the report.

In 2017-18, the National Highways Authority of India awarded around 3,396 km of HAM projects valued around Rs76,500 crore compared with 2,434 km and Rs36,300 crore in 2016-17.

The Moody’s report says the HAM model rebalances certain project risks between the public and private sectors. It has triggered a significant increase in projects awarded, with HAM projects accounting for around 46% of total awards in terms of highway length and 63% in terms of total value (Rs76,500 crore) in the 12 months to March 2018.

In recent months, the government has implemented measures in an attempt to attract private investment for India’s vast infrastructure needs, including in the port and rail sectors. The shipping ministry has also proposed a new model concession agreement that helps clarify the language of PPP projects and standardize them.
Moody’s also notes that the improving credit profiles of infrastructure developers is increasing their capacity to participate in PPP projects. However, their access to funding remains a key concern, with banks constrained by sector-specific exposure limits and existing stressed assets in their infrastructure portfolios.
Hybrid annuity model revives investments in India’s highways sector: Moody’s
 
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Day 1 of Eastern Peripheral Expressway: 50,000 fewer trucks in Delhi
The inauguration of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) had an immediate impact in the capital, with more than 50,000 heavy vehicles waiting to drive through Delhi being diverted to the expressway from the city's borders.
The number of trucks turned away on Sunday night was a third of the 1.5 lakh heavy vehicles that normally enter Delhi through the eastern border. Authorities said the diversion of such a large number of vehicles will lead to a discernable drop in the city's air pollution levels during the course of this week.

A 2016 CSE study had estimated that 30% of the particulate matter emissions from city vehicles was being contributed by trucks.

The traffic police has deployed at least 50 personnel along eight border posts connecting Delhi to the EPE. They have been asked to coordinate with the UP and Haryana police to offer a turnaround facility to trucks not destined travel into the city.

Cops say that the biggest challenge for them is to facilitate the turn-arounds since the trucks are often overloaded. At times, the drivers intentionally avoid taking the EPE since weigh bridges installed at the approach roads detect the amount of load, leading to fines.

Overloaded vehicles are automatically diverted to lanes where they have to pay a penalty. Cops have proposed installation of similar weighbridges on roads leading to Delhi as well.

There are eight major entry points in Delhi’s eastern border and about 60 other stretches from where vehicles can enter the city. Traffic officials say trucks entering through these stretches crowd the Outer Ring Road, which is a major connecting route between south Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon.

At times, the presence of the non-destined trucks was clogging the Outer Ring Road even during daytime. On any given day, more than 500 trucks are found stalled for checking on this stretch.

Cops say even after fining the trucks for crossing into the city, they would have to allow the vehicles to continue, since there are no turn-around facilities available. A truck has to travel about 80km if it’s passing through Delhi, while the EPE is approximately 40km longer, which the drivers try to avoid.

“During a meeting with traffic departments of neighbouring states, we requested that the vehicles are diverted before they reach the border so they are forced to use the EPE. This will set a precedence for truck drivers. They must know they cannot avoid the expressway if they want to get away with overloading,” said Dependra Pathak, special commissoner, traffic.
Day 1 of Eastern Peripheral Expressway: 50,000 fewer trucks in Delhi - Times of India
 
Bullet train booster: Indian Railways to do a first along Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway; massive gains in offing
This bullet train boost will be a big help for the public going forward. Indian Railways has joined hands with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to twin a rail line along the proposed expressway between Mumbai and Nagpur -- a first such coordinated move to execute a transportation project. Both arms of the government will work together to put the project on the fast track with the aim of drastically cutting travel time on the busy route. "Spanish consultant Ineco has conducted a feasibility study on constructing a high-speed rail line along the proposed Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway and the reports are positive," a senior Railway Ministry official told IANS.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which is already acquiring land for the proposed expressway, will keep the rail project in mind, he added. The elevated rail line could be built in the middle or along the proposed 800 km expressway depending on the ground situation, according to a feasibility report. The official said that twin tunnels and bridges can also be constructed to cross rivers and negotiate hilly areas in a coordinated way for road and rail traffic.

While the feasibility report is being examined by the Railways officials concerned, the Spanish team is set to make a detailed presentation, including on the financial aspect, to the public transporter shortly to take the ambitious project further. According to the study, travel time will be drastically reduced for both road and train travellers as the expressway will be fully access-controlled while the elevated rail track will ensure an uninterrupted high-speed train journey.

Land acquisition is a serious problem and many rail projects, including the ambitious Dedicated Freight Corridor, have been delayed due to land-related issues. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor is also facing the same problem. Incidentally, the improved road network in the country has taken a toll on the Railways` business on shorter routes and the national transporter is making a concerted effort to wean away goods and passenger traffic from roads and increase its share.

"It`s a new way of executing the project faster, as the combined efforts to acquire land will ease a major burden for both ministries and pave the way for speedy execution," the oficial said. The Mumbai-Nagpur section is part of the proposed high speed rail corridor between Howrah and Mumbai, the diamond quadrilateral rail project.
Bullet train booster: Indian Railways to do a first along Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway; massive gains in offing
 
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India to adopt global norms for highway construction calculations
India will adopt global norms for calculating highways construction from this fiscal after hitting a record 26.92 km road building per day in FY 2017-18, which as per international standards is 94.18 lane km, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

A record 9,829 km of highways were constructed in 2017-18 which comes to 26.92 km of roads per day while the road awards stood at 17,055 km in the just concluded fiscal, thus witnessing about two-folds and five-folds increase in construction and awards of roads respectively.

"We are adopting international norms for highways construction from this fiscal. The ministry has so far been calculating construction of National Highways in linear length, which means there is no difference between 1 km of 2-lane with paved shoulders and 1 km with 6-lanes and service roads," Gadkari told reporters here.

This is not as per internationally adopted norms and the correct position is captured through counting of lane km, Gadkari said.

"Internationally, one standard lane width in the US is 3.7 metres, it varies between 2.75 to 3.25 metres in Europe and 3.5 metres in Germany. As per Indian standards, the width of one lane is prescribed as 3.5 metres," the minister elaborated.

He said going by international norms, India constructed 34,378 lane km of highways in 2017-18 which comes to 94.18 lane km a day last fiscal. This in linear length wise comes to 26.92 km a day and 9,829 km in the year.

From this fiscal, the ministry will follow international norms to calculate construction of highways - lane km, he said.

The minister said the award of highways was barely 3,620 km in 2013-14 while construction was 4,260 km.

Of the 9,829 km constructed last fiscal, the ministry through state PWDs awarded 6,167 km while NHAI and NHIDCL shares stood at 3,071 km and 591 km respectively.

Of the total awards of 17,055 km, the share of ministry, NHAI and NHIDCL stood at 8,651 km, 7,397 km and 1,006 km respectively.

He said the ministry spent Rs 1.16 lakh crore on highways construction in the last fiscal of which Rs 50,385 crore was the IEBR raised by the NHAI.
India to adopt global norms for highway construction calculations - Times of India
 
Modi government constructed 73% more highways compared to UPA's l
Recent data released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) indicates that the Narendra Modi government has built 73% more highways in its first four years in office as compared to the last four years of the former UPA government. This is a momentous achievement which the NDA government can, in the run-up to the 2019 general elections, not just look up to, but possibly even take advantage of to remain in office.

So far, the incumbent government has constructed a total of 28,531 km national highways since FY 2014-15, contrasting with 16,505 km by the previous government up to FY 2013-14, a clear gain of an astounding 12,026 kms, the Financial Express reported.

The implementation of the construction projects is done through the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) route. Under EPC, the government invites bids from companies which have expertise in engineering and construction. Once a successful bid has been placed, the government hands over the contract to the company and provides 100% funding. The company is then accountable for every single aspect of the project, viz. procuring materials, labor, implementation, maintenance, etc.

Over the last few years, under the NDA government, construction of national highways has steadily increased. Until May 2014, the construction rate of highways stood at 11.67 km per day. The current regime has steadily raised the construction rate to the present 26.9 km per day in FY 2017-18.

In FY 2017-18, the government built 9,829 km; 8,231 km in FY 2016-17; 6,061 km in FY 2015-16; and 4,410 km in FY 2014-15. For FY 2018-19, the MoRTH is set out to achieve a target of 45 km per day.

Additionally, the government is actively addressing policy issues that hinder highway development. It has streamlined the exit policy which will enable developers to invest in new projects, land acquisition has been expedited, and one-time fund infusion scheme has been introduced which aids in resurrecting languishing projects. Modi government constructed 73% more highways compared to UPA's last 4 years
 
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Guys anyone have ideas about NH41 work after chenani Naseer tunnel to Srinagar when we are going to start the doubling lane highway work .i was watching a YouTube video Jammu to Srinagar ride and till the tunnel road ends it was awesome but after that it was like poor state highways.
 
@suryakiran who are the main EPC companies for gadkari projects. i missed the dilip buildcon bus last year, any other prospective construction guys not reeling in debt.
 
Milspec said:
@suryakiran who are the main EPC companies for gadkari projects. i missed the dilip buildcon bus last year, any other prospective construction guys not reeling in debt.
Click to expand...

Staying away from IPOs for now. Except rites. as for construction guys, wait and see. This year is the wrong year to buy them, I think.
 
suryakiran said:
Staying away from IPOs for now. Except rites. as for construction guys, wait and see. This year is the wrong year to buy them, I think.
Click to expand...
yupp no IPO's for me too. not after GIC and HAL.
 
Fast pace of NH building doubled jobs in last 4 years
The increased pace of highway construction has more than doubled employment generation in the past four years, according to an estimate by the road transport ministry.

While during 2013-14, only 45,600 man-days of jobs were generated due to highway construction it increased to about 1.1 lakh during last fiscal year.

Moreover, the central guidelines for growth of taxi aggregators has created direct job opportunities for over a million drivers with each driver’s take home pegged around Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per month. Even the decision of no permit norm for e-rickshaws have also generated new employment to lakhs of people across the country.

In its report on the initiative taken by the ministry, which have benefited the common man and especially middle classes, the ministry has listed the steps that have improved the “ease of living”. It has mentioned how highway construction touched 9,830 km during 2017-18 in comparison to only 4,260 in 2013-14 when the Narendra Modi government came to power.
Fast pace of NH building doubled jobs in last 4 years - Times of India
 
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Kannur cops teach road safety by recreating iconic Beatles cover
This is not the first time that a police force has used this iconic photo to raise awareness about road safety. In 2013, Kolkata traffic police too had used the same photo asking pedestrians, "If they can, why can't you?"

kannur-police-beatles-ad-759.jpg
The Collector of Kannur, Mir Mohammed Ali dubbed it as Kannur Beatles. (Source: Mir A/ Twitter)
Beatles, the all-time favourite rock band from Britain, has fans all around the world and is now being used by police in Kerala to instil road safety awareness among the citizens. Police officers in Kannur district of Kerala imitated the iconic cover of the band’s penultimate album photo to promote road safety and is winning hearts online. In a beautiful tribute to band’s eleventh studio album Abbey Road, which featured the ‘fab four’ walking across a zebra crossing outside Abbey Road Studios in London, four cops recreated the scene.


Sharing the image of “Kannur’s Beatles” online, Kannur Collector Mir Mohammed Ali said the initiative was taken by the “Station House Officer (SHO) at Kannavam Police Station”. Collaborating with the local artists, the photo showed a 3D-painting of black-and-white blocks on the road and the cops recreating the iconic photo, which has been replicated by millions of Beatles fans worldwide since its release in 1969.

Ali also shared a photo of the original cover to draw parallels. The iconic photo, shot near EMI studios, showed the group crossing the street in single file from left to right, with Lennon leading, followed by Starr, McCartney, and Harrison.

The photo was appreciated by many on both Instagram and Twitter.

However, this is not the first time that a police force has used this iconic photo to raise awareness about road safety. In 2013, Kolkata traffic police too had used the same photo asking pedestrians, “If they can, why can’t you?”
Chronology of events in the Dhaula Kuan gangrape case
 
Rs 334 crore for second Panipat-Delhi link
An alternative route to decongest the Panipat-Delhi section of National Highway 44 is on the anvil with the Haryana Government approving a Rs 334-crore proposal.

The road, which will initially connect Panipat Refinery with the Haiderpur Ring Road in Delhi, will replace the narrow and dilapidated road along the Munak canal, which reaches Delhi passing through Panipat and Sonepat districts.

Sources said the 80-km route was proposed by Haryana in view of increasing traffic on NH-44, especially on the Panipat-Delhi section. It was considered that the road between Harewali (Delhi) and Munak (Karnal) be widened to serve as a parallel road.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had asked the Haryana State Road Development Corporation to explore the possibility of augmenting and widening the road.

It found that an alternative 7-metre-wide road between Siwah (Panipat) and Harewali was feasible in the first phase. Efforts would be made to connect the road from Harewali to Munak as a slight alignment was needed.
Now, the proposal would be sent to the National Capital Region Planning Board as it was an inter-state project.

Plan to decongest NH-44
80-km alternative route to initially connect Panipat Refinery with Haiderpur Ring Road in Delhi
Existing Harewali (Delhi)-Munak (Karnal) road passing through Panipat and Sonepat districts to be widened
Parallel road will decongest traffic on National Highway-44
Rs 334 crore for second Panipat-Delhi link
 
Nitin Gadkari inaugurates, lays foundation stones for road projects worth Rs 6,000 cr in Jodhpur
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on January 5 laid foundation stone for and inaugurated six road projects worth Rs 6,000 crore in border areas in Jodhpur, Rajasthan and claimed none of them will have any pothole for next 150-200 years.

"My focus has been on developing road using concrete here and these roads will not have any pothole for next 150-200 years. You, then your sons and then their sons will keep using them," the Road Transport and Highways Minister told the audience.

"We also have made sure that even planes could land on and take off from these roads," Gadkari said, adding that his emphasis has always been on quality in work, reduction of cost, timely completion of projects and bringing new technology in road and bridge construction.

Gadkari dedicated works worth Rs 2,000 crore to the nation after their completion and laid foundation for some projects worth Rs 4,000 crore.

Addressing the contractors present on the dais, Gadkari said works worth Rs 10 lakh crores have been awarded from his office and not a single contractor had to take turn of the ministry for getting these works.

"There was so much transparency in all these works that they did not have to come to the ministry in this regard and not a single rupee worth corruption took place in any of these projects," he said.

He also emphasized on promotion of bio-fuel, electricity and ethanol as an alternative to the conventional fossil fuel.

"We have flown planes using bio fuel using Jetropha and the bio fuel has obtained recognition from the Boeing and the Air Bus," Gadkari said.

He appealed to the MoS (Agriculture ministry) Gajendra Singh Shkhawat to turn Rajasthan into an automobile hub by promoting production of Jetropha.

He also appealed to the farmers to come forward to produce bio fuel using bio technology.
Nitin Gadkari inaugurates, lays foundation stones for road projects worth Rs 6,000 cr in Jodhpur
 
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