changeadminIndia’s highways are no longer just corridors of connectivity. They are becoming an important part of the country’s broader infrastructure transformation.
As road infrastructure expands, the focus is also shifting towards building corridors that are efficient, resilient and environmentally responsible.
Over the past decade, India’s National Highway network has grown by nearly 61%, from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,572 km by March 2026.
This rapid development has strengthened connectivity, improved market access, and supported faster movement of people and goods.
As road infrastructure expands, the focus is also shifting towards building corridors that are efficient, resilient and environmentally responsible.
Large-scale plantation along National Highways (NH), the use of recycled and waste-derived materials, energy-efficient construction practices, and satellite-based monitoring of green cover are contributing to a more sustainable highway network.
Green Highways Policy, 2015: Policy Evolution
In 2015, India’s National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) introduced the Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance) Policy to increase the green cover of the road network.
The Green Highways Policy was formulated to:
- Evolve a policy framework for plantation along National Highways.
- Reduce the impact of air pollution and dust, as trees and shrubs are natural sinks for air pollutants.
- Arrest soil erosion at the embankment slopes.
- Moderate the effect of wind and incoming radiation.
- Create employment opportunities for local people.
Implementing the policy brings together multiple stakeholders, including Self Help Groups, private agencies, State Forest Departments, Forest Corporations, and contractors who undertake plantation activities according to the scope of sanctioned works.
A Plantation Cell has been established to monitor overall progress through regional offices of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and other agencies.
Greening the Corridors: Plantation & Afforestation
The greening of National Highways is increasingly being measured by the number of saplings planted, their survival, growth and distribution along highway corridors.
As of July 2026, more than 3.61 crore saplings have been planted across approximately 1.32 lakh km of National Highways during the last five years.
The approach has also expanded from plantation to broader environmental management. Earlier, field personnel relied primarily on site visits to monitor plantations. Today, drone- and satellite-based monitoring supplements this.
Miyawaki plantations have also been introduced to increase green cover. Wherever tree felling is necessary for highway development, compensatory afforestation and tree transplantation are being undertaken.
Plantation and landscaping have become integral to National Highway development and project completion. NHAI’s September 2026 guidelines reinforce this approach.
Plantation works will be considered compliant for provisional completion certification only when at least 80% of the available Right of Way (RoW) earmarked for plantation has been covered.
Right of Way refers to the designated land area that is legally required for the construction, operation, and maintenance of highway infrastructure.
The planted saplings must also have a minimum 90% survival rate at the time of official inspection. The same survival benchmark applies during the Operations and Maintenance period, with provisions for timely replacement of plants that do not survive.
To encourage good practices, NHAI instituted the Green Highways Excellence Awards in 2025.
The Green Highways Excellence Awards 2026 placed the highest weightage on plantation survival, along with species diversity, use of native species, site-specific plans and protection measures.
These award-winning efforts show how every stretch of a highway can become an opportunity to add greenery and strengthen the surrounding landscape.
National Highways – Green Cover Index (NH-GCI)
Marking a new milestone in sustainable highway development, the first Annual Report on the National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI) 2025–26 was released in March 2026.
Prepared in collaboration with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of ISRO, the report provides the country’s first scientific and quantitative assessment of green cover within the RoW along National Highways.
The assessment covers nearly 30,000 kilometres of National Highways under the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) phase across 24 states.
It includes observations recorded before and after the monsoon season. Using advanced space-based technologies, it establishes a reliable baseline to monitor and enhance roadside plantations.
The assessment reveals significant variation in green cover along National Highways. The findings enable comparison, ranking, and targeted interventions for improved plantation management.
Driving the Shift to Sustainable Materials
Beyond increasing green cover along highways, Indian roads are also transitioning from fossil-fuel-based materials to bio-based, regenerative solutions.
A major scientific breakthrough was announced in January 2026 with the technology transfer of Bio-Bitumen produced via pyrolysis of farm residue.
Technology transfer is a process that allows scientific findings, knowledge and intellectual property to flow from universities and research institutions to public and private users.
The innovation, “Bio-Bitumen via Pyrolysis: From Farm Residue to Roads”, was developed jointly by CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), New Delhi, and CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP), Dehradun.
Bitumen is a mixture of organic liquids and hydrocarbons, used for paving roads, and is known as black gold in the pavement industry.
Currently, India meets nearly 50% of its bitumen requirement through imports. Innovations such as bio-bitumen can reduce import dependence while strengthening domestic production capabilities.
The process uses post-harvest rice straw as feedstock for producing bio-oil through pyrolysis. The bio-oil is subsequently blended with conventional bitumen to produce the bio-bitumen blend.
The technology uses biomass pyrolysis to produce multiple value streams, including bio-binders for roads, energy-efficient gaseous fuel, bio-pesticide fractions and high-grade carbon.
These outputs have applications in batteries, water purification and advanced materials, offering an emission-free and cost-effective solution for the future.
A 100-metre trial stretch using bio-bitumen has been successfully laid on the Jorabat–Shillong Expressway (NH-40) in Meghalaya, demonstrating its feasibility.
The technology also supports farm residue management. Plans are underway to integrate this into national highway construction standards.
With this, India has emerged as the first country to scale bio-bitumen technology to industrial and commercial levels within the same year.
The shift towards alternative materials is also visible in the wider use of recycled and industrial by-products in highway construction.
Fly ash, a thermal power plant by-product, and pond ash are increasingly used in embankments and structural works.
Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, construction and demolition waste and recycled aggregates are also used in suitable highway works, as per technical specifications.
Other materials being promoted include plastic waste, steel slag, crumb rubber, bio-bitumen and other recycled or industrial by-products.
Together, these practices improve resource efficiency, conserve natural resources and help address environmental concerns associated with highway construction.
Turning Highway Greenery into Pollinator Corridors
Green corridors along highways can serve purposes beyond shade and landscape improvement.
Earlier this year, NHAI announced a first-of-its-kind initiative to develop bee corridors along National Highways.
The initiative uses flowering and locally suitable species to provide nectar and pollen across seasons, creating continuous habitat for bees and other pollinators.
Along identified stretches of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, the “Trees for Bees” campaign is being developed to create pollinator corridors.
Andhra Pradesh: Sustaining the Green Cover
One promising example of expanding green cover on national highways comes from Andhra Pradesh, which has seen sustained plantation activity along its National Highway network.
Between 2010 and 2025, around 18 lakh seedlings were planted through avenue and median plantations.
These plantations are being maintained to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change and ensure safer travel for highway users.
For 2026–27, the State has targeted a further 3.86 lakh saplings for avenue and median plantation across the State.
On World Environment Day 2026, around 3,200 saplings were planted across Andhra Pradesh under the tree plantation initiative.
Together, these efforts reflect a shift from planting trees along highways to nurturing green corridors that communities can help sustain over time.
Community Engagement & Public Awareness
The impact of green highway initiatives is most visible on the ground, where plantations are being linked with biodiversity and community participation.
Experiences from different States show how highway spaces can become platforms for wider environmental action.
Building the Highways of Tomorrow
India’s highway sector today stands at the intersection of large-scale infrastructure delivery and environmental stewardship.
Each initiative, from grassroots plantation to indigenous bio-bitumen, reflects a common thread.
Growth need not come at the expense of green cover. The Green Highways story is woven into India’s larger national priorities.
These span climate action, self-reliance and inclusive growth. It reinforces the vision of Viksit Bharat through sustainable, technology-backed infrastructure.
As India’s highway network expands, its green cover is expanding alongside it.
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