NHAI releases new guidelines for high-speed access-controlled national highways to boost safety

New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday released comprehensive guidelines for the planning and designing of high-speed access controlled national highways, other than expressways.

The move is aimed at ensuring uniformity in standards for the preparation of detailed project reports, fostering greater consistency in technical standards, strengthening road safety and improving operational efficiency across the national highway network.

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“The guidelines will focus on safety measures appropriate with high-speed traffic conditions on corridors and will also provide advance notification of exits and entries, enabling National Highway users to anticipate and safely navigate upcoming access and egress points,” the ministry of road transport and highways said.

The guidelines will apply to all upcoming four and six-lane greenfield and brownfield high-speed access controlled national highways. At present, there are no separate standards and specifications governing planning and designing of such highways.

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India plans to develop 50,000 km of access-controlled high-speed corridors under Viksit Bharat 2047, boosting connectivity and reducing logistics costs.