Beyond Asphalt
India’s highways have long been symbols of growth—bold strokes of infrastructure that stitched together cities, markets, and industries. But the country is now entering a new chapter, one where the success of a highway is measured not by the distance it covers or the speed at which it was built, but by how intelligently, sustainably, and resiliently it performs over decades. With climate pressures intensifying and mobility technologies evolving at breakneck speed, India’s road-building narrative is shifting from expansion to endurance.
For years, speed of construction and breadth of carriageway defined engineering ambition. Today, the benchmarks are far more demanding: lowering lifecycle carbon, incorporating climate intelligence, embracing circular materials, and preparing corridors for an electric future. The nation’s next wave of highways must do more than move vehicles—they must protect the environment, reduce resource consumption, and adapt to new forms of mobility.
Brig Gurjeet Singh Kambo, Head, Special Initiatives, TI IC, Larsen & Toubro, notes that while India’s infrastructure growth has been remarkable, it has also contributed to ecological stress. “We have to go green,” he insists. “That means carbon reduction, water neutrality, and renewable integration in every project. We must reorganise our methods so energy is harnessed in the best possible way.” He cites cold recycling of asphalt—a process that mills, reuses, and relays existing pavement—as a breakthrough that saves time, cuts emissions, and minimises raw material use.
This new direction isn’t just environmental—it’s economic. Building for durability reduces lifecycle costs and delivers better service to users. Yet, one familiar enemy continues to undermine India’s roads: water.
The water problem beneath our wheels
Road failures rarely start on the surface. Their origins lie deep within layers where water infiltration weakens the base, destabilises structures, and eventually triggers cracks and potholes. Himanshu Agarwal, COO, Zydex, calls this the industry’s blind spot. “We keep focusing on the surface when the problem is in the base. If water gets in, it will win. You either block it with chemistry or drain it with intent.”
In the Northeast—where unforgiving rains meet mountainous terrain—the lesson is sharper. Climate-aware design must be the starting point: culverts sized for debris, bio-engineered slopes, well-managed spoil, and robust hydrology models. “Hydrology is not an afterthought—it is the foundation of resilient design,” Agarwal emphasises.
The procurement paradox
Even as engineering wisdom evolves, sustainability continues to be undermined by a decades-old procurement model fixated on the lowest bid. Dr Zafar Khan, Joint CEO, Vertis, describes the problem bluntly: “We don’t buy roads—we buy lifecycle risk. If the system keeps rewarding L1, assets will be optimised to win contracts, not to survive 2045’s monsoon.”
Khan advocates a shift to two-stage evaluations prioritising performance, durability, and lifecycle cost. His company’s success with plastic-modified asphalt and stone mastic asphalt demonstrates that advanced materials—though initially more expensive—repay themselves through longer service life and lower maintenance.
The private sector echoes this sentiment. “Many roads built in the last decade will require heavy intervention far sooner than planned,” warns Bovin Kumar, CEO, Cube Highways. “Spending 5 to 10 per cent more upfront for the right drainage, base, and materials saves multiple times that in operations. If we treat highways as 50-year assets, procurement must reward value, not just speed or price.”
Circular thinking takes centre stage
Circularity is no longer an environmental buzzword—it is quickly becoming a core principle of modern highway engineering. From recycled asphalt to plastic-modified bitumen, material innovation is transforming pavement performance.
One of the most compelling circular solutions comes from the waste value chain. “We process PET bottle waste into geotextiles and geocomposites that stabilise soil, separate layers, and drain water,” says Nitin Poddar, Director, Ginni Spectra. “They extend pavement life while keeping plastic waste out of landfills. The shift is clear—contractors now ask where to use them, not why.”
These materials dramatically reduce the need for virgin aggregates and energy inputs. For Brig Kambo, the takeaway is simple: “Cold recycling, geocomposites—these aren’t niche techniques. They need to be mainstreamed into the standards of every highway contract.”
The EV future arrives on the corridor
As India accelerates towards electric mobility, highways must evolve into digitally enabled, power-ready arteries. “An EV is an electronic device on wheels,” says Nikhil Gandhi, Invest India. “Dust, unstable power, and poor communications can cripple it. Highways must be EV-ready—cleaner rest stops, reliable power supply, and resilient digital networks.”
But he cautions against designing infrastructure around hype. Because India’s power mix is still transitioning, EVs may shift emissions upstream rather than eliminate them. Flexibility, not overinvestment, should guide corridor planning. “Design corridors that can adapt to whatever comes next—EVs, hydrogen, or hybrids.”
Accountability: The missing link
Even the best designs falter without robust execution. Poddar underscores the role of audits: “DPR writers and contractors must be accountable. Failures should not be discovered through potholes.”
Kumar adds an aviation analogy: “If a runway fails, heads roll. Why is pavement failure treated like weather?” Stronger penalties, transparent reporting, and durability-based auditing systems are essential for meaningful change.
For Suneet Maheshwari, Founder & Managing Partner, Udvik Infrastructure Advisors LLP, the solution lies in procurement reform. “We need to move from awarding projects on promises to paying for outcomes. If we keep tolerating lowest-bid roulette, we will keep getting assets optimised for the wrong incentives.”
He believes digital models, rainfall curves, and structural simulations must be enriched with local insights. “Villages know which slope slides and which culvert clogs. That knowledge must sit alongside our satellite data. Marry the two, and corridors will survive the first cloudburst—not just the first audit,” adds Khan.
Technical innovation means little without the right skills on site. Agarwal puts it plainly: “We can’t keep training for 1990s pavements and expect 2040s performance.”
Crews must understand recycling technologies, geotextile installation, and sustainability metrics. Gandhi observes that transparency is accelerating change: “When agencies publish sustainability reports, questions follow—and answers improve.”
The road ahead
From hydrology-first design to EV-ready layouts, India’s blueprint for greener highways is already emerging. The immediate priorities are clear:
- Mandate hydrology-led design with energy-dissipating drainage.
- Adopt two-stage procurement focused on lifecycle performance.
- Mainstream cold recycling, SMA, and geosynthetics.
- Develop power-ready, digitally resilient rest stops.
- Strengthen sustainability training and enforce strict accountability.
As Maheshwari puts it, “A highway is a 50-year promise. If we plan and build with that horizon in mind, India’s roads can be both green and future-proof.”
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