629 of 1,191 NH Projects Delayed Across India

More than half of India’s 1,191 ongoing National Highway projects are behind schedule, with 629 having missed their original completion deadlines, according to data presented to Parliament. The government has also penalized or blacklisted 103 contractors and concessionaires for poor-quality work between 2023-24 and 2025-26 as part of tightening accountability. A phased plan is underway to deploy Advanced Traffic Management Systems across about 52,647 km of four-lane-and-above highways and expressways, supported by centralised command and control centers for real-time monitoring. Using AI-based tools and accident data from 2023-2025, authorities identified 6,358 black corridors—continuous highway stretches prioritized for safety interventions. The disclosures underscore persistent execution bottlenecks across states, with widespread delays reported in states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat, and reflect a broader push to improve project governance, safety, and toll-standardization across the network.