NHAI to develop 57 stretches as model national highways (Representational Image)
Plans are afoot to develop 57 highway stretches near each state capital to serve as model national highways, an NHAI official said. These stretches total to 1,735 kms across the country. "In order to exhibit the model stretches of national highways as per norms, NHAI plans to develop 57 stretches of NH (1,735 kms) across the length and breadth of the country near each state capital," the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official said.
These model stretches will also serve as a platform to instruct the highway engineers of the country, including state PWD engineers.
"These model stretches will have all the required safety and aesthetic features like road signs, road markings, road furniture and safety items, proper junctions and entry/ exit," the official added.
Other features include functional drains, pedestrian facilities, street lighting, plantation and landscaping, elegant toll plazas, user facilities and wayside amenities, CCTV cameras at all vulnerable locations, no black spots to avoid accidents and ecofriendly measures.
With all these features, the stretch will look like a perfect textbook version of a model road.
Some of the NH sections identified for development as model stretches are Dausa to Jaipur; Jalandhar to Amritsar; Srinagar to Banihal; Varanasi Ring Road; Chennai Bypass, Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra border to Nagpur including Nagpur Bypass; and Brahmputra Bridge to Guwahati.
NHAI has issued policy guidelines to help its regional officers (ROs)/ project directors (PDs) identify and plan the development of model stretches and complete the activity in a timely manner.
Sufficient financial powers have been delegated to take quick decision in the matter, the official said.
NHAI HQ will be monitoring the progress closely through online e-portal (Data Lake), where pictures/ videos of each model stretch would be uploaded apart from other related information.
