NEW DELHI: In the coming years, the Centre will focus on the construction of ring roads and bypasses for seamless urban connectivity. Aiming to further strengthen India’s infrastructure and improve urban mobility, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Wednesday held a consultation workshop, during which Union Minister Nitin Gadkari discussed draft policies related to urban decongestion, improvements in National Highway administration, and the use of urban landfills for highway construction with stakeholders.
The consultation aimed to seek views and suggestions from State Governments and Union Territory (UT) administrations on a set of key policy initiatives expected to play an important role in supporting infrastructure development and coordinated urban planning along National Highways across the country.
According to officials, discussions were held on the Urban Decongestion Policy, which aims to reduce traffic bottlenecks on National Highways passing through cities with populations of more than one lakh by developing access-controlled ring roads, bypasses, and elevated corridors.
The policy emphasizes close integration with urban master plans to ensure that new highway infrastructure complements city development and helps prevent unplanned growth along these corridors. It also introduces flexible financing mechanisms, including cost-sharing arrangements and innovative tools such as Value Capture Financing, to expedite project implementation.
Another issue deliberated upon was the reuse of inert waste from urban landfills in the construction of highway embankments.
“This approach reduces dependence on precious natural soil, lowers overall construction costs, and addresses the growing challenge of solid waste management in cities. Successful pilot projects, including UER-II in Delhi and the Ahmedabad–Dholera Expressway, have already demonstrated the technical feasibility and economic benefits of the initiative. The Ministry has identified 15 dump sites, which account for about 50% of the country’s total legacy waste of 1,200 lakh metric tonnes (MT),” said officials.
National Highway projects in the pipeline have been mapped with these dump sites for the utilization of inert material. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is proposed to be signed with the respective municipalities for the same.
Another major focus was the State Road Development Policy, which is being designed to provide central support for the upgradation of high-traffic State Highways to four lanes or more. The policy proposes a cost-sharing framework between the Centre and States, complemented by Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements to attract private investment.
“By focusing on corridors with significant traffic volumes, the initiative seeks to improve regional connectivity, reduce travel time, and strengthen linkages between national and state-level road networks,” officials added.
On the occasion, detailed presentations were made by senior MoRTH officials, outlining the objectives and features of the proposed policies, with inputs from external ministries including the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
The presentations were followed by detailed consultation sessions with representatives of State and UT governments, who shared their perspectives on regional priorities, administrative challenges, and successful practices. Their feedback and suggestions were solicited to ensure that the finalized policies are practical and aligned with the needs of States and cities across the country.
“Various constructive suggestions have been received and will be duly considered before finalizing the policies,” said ministry officials.