In Bad Shape| India's most dangerous highways—why they are taking a toll on lives

Though the National Highways Authority of India has added new stretches of highways to the national grid in the past few years quality of roads within cities remains poor. Potholes cropping up claiming lives have become a common occurrence especially during monsoons (Image: Moneycontrol)

Collapsed bridges, derailed trains, flooded highways, road cave-ins, and fatalities in the hundreds… the front and inside pages of most Indian dailies have for decades chronicled the shambolic state of transport infrastructure across the country. While much has changed for the better in the last three decades, such tragedies still occur with alarming frequency.

In recent days, images of Gujarat’s Morbi Bridge and roads collapsing in Uttar Pradesh have taken up premium real estate in Indian Newspapers.

The collapse of the 137-year-old suspension bridge in Morbi on October 30 claimed over 130 lives. It had reopened less than a week ago after repairs.

In October, a part of the 341-km Purvanchal Expressway, one of the most ambitious projects of the Uttar Pradesh government, caved in. This is the second such incident in four months in Uttar Pradesh. In July, a portion of the Bundelkhand Expressway reported severe damage within a week of its inauguration.

India has a checkered history of bridge collapses, roads caving in and foot overbridge collapses.

According to the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index, India's infrastructure was placed 91st out of 139 nations in 2019. The index ranking was paused in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Moneycontrol, through this “In Bad Shape” series, is taking a look at why infrastructure projects in India don’t meet global quality standards and how the common man ends up paying the price.

As part of the series we spoke to all the stakeholders involved in planning, building and maintenance of different infrastructure projects in India, including builders, contractors, consultant engineers and regulatory authorities, to look at the issues plaguing this industry.

The reasons and the party responsible in each case may vary. From poor design, cutting corners during construction, rushed execution, wear and tear, natural disaster, limited budgets and negligence to even sabotage, there are many reasons for India’s biggest infrastructure failures. But there is a serious need for more accountability.

“In India when we talk about any infrastructure project, the effort for maintenance and regular monitoring of the project is neither a regulatory provision nor are the operators tracking it seriously,” Satish Kumar Sharma, chairman and founder of engineering consultancy Hindustan Consulting Associates, told Moneycontrol. Sharma was previously the chief technical officer of Hindustan Construction Company.

He added that when planning for infrastructure projects is carried out, no budget is set aside for monitoring and maintenance of projects.

“Budgeting for most infrastructure projects is done up to the defect liability project and not beyond that, which affects the quality of infrastructure projects once they are constructed,” Sharma added.

Moneycontrol has compiled a list of national highways in India that have historically been hotspots for road accidents due to poor construction quality or design flaws.

The infographic below highlights some of the most dangerous national highways in India, based on historical data.

The data has been compiled by Moneycontrol. It is not a comprehensive list.

Roads accidents

Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari has often said that road accidents are one of the biggest killers in India.

In 2021, the National Crime Records Bureau records show that around 1.55 lakh people died due to road accidents, while another 3.71 lakh people were injured.

Based on these numbers, nearly 12 people died in a road accident every day last year, in every state, and there is a possibility that these figures are even higher if the number of cases that go unreported is taken into account.

India also accounts for 11 percent of all deaths from traffic accidents in the world, which is the highest globally, according to a 2021 World Bank report.

National highways accounted for one-third (34 percent) of all road accident-related deaths last year, followed by state highways (25 percent), shows NCRB data.

Design flaws on roads

While India has been upgrading its highways since 2000 with dividers, four-lane and six-lane roads and expressways, the design does not cater to the requirements of pedestrians, cyclists, two-wheelers, animal carts and other slow-moving traffic.

A study by the Centre for Science and Environment shows that the share of fatal road accidents has increased phenomenally as Indian cities are giving more importance to high-speed roads for vehicles and not to ensuring safe access for all.

According to the report, most accidents occur around flyovers, crossings and signal-free, high-speed corridors and near bus and metro stations.

“Road design influences human behaviour on the street. Our cities are designed to be car-centric. The focus is on providing ease to the 7.5 percent car users, leaving out other users such as pedestrians, cyclists, users of public transport or wheelchair users,” said Rachna Khare, Professor, Department of Architecture, who specialises in rural and urban planning.

“Guidelines for non-motorised transport, if followed, will provide safety, accessibility and comfort to all road users,” she added.

Potholes and black spots

The lack of proper maintenance of Indian roads has often led to their deterioration, be it the metropolises, towns or villages.

According to the Road Accident Report for 2020, prepared by the road transport and highways ministry, 75,000 people died because of the poor roads in India.

Road features such as sharp curves, potholes and steep gradients tend to be accident-prone because it takes skill, extra care and alertness to negotiate these features.

Around 1.4 percent of the total fatalities (2,140 people) resulted from potholes while another 1.4 percent or 2,160 people died due to steep gradients, the report said.

The NHAI has been on a mission to identify black spots—places where the most accidents take place—on national highways to rectify them.

The ministry has identified 5,803 black spots on national highways based on accident and fatality data for the 2015-2018 period in 30 states and union territories. Out of 5,803 black spots, temporary measures have been taken at 5,167 spots, while 292 black spots have been permanently rectified.

Sixty percent of the black spots on national highways where more than 28,000 people died in road crashes between 2016 and 2018 have been rectified, according to NHAI data.

In most cases, black spots arise due to design flaws on the road, lack of foresight on traffic movement, and concealed or improperly made road safety signs. While road accidents could also be the result of rash driving or poor traffic discipline, poor infrastructure increases its probability.