The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has given its regional officers, project directors and highway contractors three months to improve the condition, safety and appearance of national highways, according to a report by The Times of India. The exercise covers more than two dozen issues, including road defects, damaged safety infrastructure, poor cleanliness and inadequate facilities for commuters.
The authority has directed field teams to fill potholes, repair cracked road surfaces and address visible rutting. Faded pavement markings, damaged kerbs, defunct highway lighting, broken concrete barriers and damaged road signs have also been identified for rectification.
NHAI will use dashcam footage to identify defects requiring attention. The use of vehicle-based footage is intended to help field officials detect problems along highway stretches, including issues that may not be captured through routine inspections.
The improvement plan also covers highway shoulders, medians and drainage. Uneven earthen shoulders are to be dressed, excess vegetation removed and median plantation maintained. Missing drain covers are to be replaced, while unauthorised openings in road medians are to be closed. The authority has also listed unauthorised signboards, hoardings and encroachments for action.
Work-zone safety and traffic diversion arrangements are among the immediate priorities. NHAI has proposed installing adequate road studs and impact attenuators, also known as crash cushions, at hazardous locations. Gantries are to be added where required, while existing overhead sign structures and road signage that are damaged are to be repaired.
The measures extend to commuter facilities and highway service areas. NHAI has identified the quality of toilets, the condition of foot overbridges and gantries, bus bays, road sweeping and drain-cleaning equipment for improvement. Toll plaza approaches are also included, with planned attention to signage, road markings and landscaping.
Other locations listed for improvement include service roads, waterlogging-prone areas, highway slopes and approaches to structures. The plan calls for smoother riding surfaces and measures to prevent water ponding, issues that can affect vehicle movement and road safety, particularly during heavy rain.
The exercise places responsibility on NHAI’s regional officers, project directors and contractors to address both operational defects and the visible condition of highway assets. The three-month timeframe means that the identified works are being treated as immediate maintenance and safety interventions rather than long-term highway construction projects. Further implementation details, including the specific highway stretches covered and the status of individual repairs, were not provided in the supplied report.
