“News Reel is Over, Now the Main Picture Begins” — Nitin Gadkari’s Big Infrastructure Promise
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, known for his bold vision and high-speed execution, has once again raised the bar on India’s infrastructure ambitions. In a recent interview, he declared that “Indian roads will be like America’s in two years”, adding that the progress seen so far is merely the “news reel,” while the “main picture is about to begin.”
🚨 NITIN GADKARI : "You have just watched the news reel, the main picture is yet to start" 🔥🔥
— Times Algebra (@TimesAlgebraIND) June 9, 2025
"Indian Roads will be similar to that of America in 2 Years"
"Believe me Some people from America met me and said our infrastructure is better than America"
"Earlier, our roads were… pic.twitter.com/zBdDIIDzE3
Citing feedback from foreign dignitaries, including Americans who reportedly told him that “your infrastructure is better than ours”, Gadkari outlined the roadmap for India’s transformation into a global logistics and connectivity hub. The comments reflect growing confidence in the government’s mega road-building spree, which aims to bring down logistics costs, boost exports, and fuel India’s $5 trillion economy goal.
Expressways, Corridors, and Ropeways: India’s Massive Highway Overhaul in Motion
Since 2014, India’s National Highway (NH) network has expanded from 91,000 km to over 146,000 km, making it the second-largest road network in the world. Gadkari’s ministry is now accelerating further — with 25 greenfield expressways, 30+ economic corridors, and multi-modal logistics hubs under various stages of development.
Among the flagship projects:
- Delhi–Mumbai Expressway: One of India’s longest expressways, enabling faster freight movement between key metro hubs.
- Ganga Expressway: Connecting western Uttar Pradesh to eastern regions for faster regional trade.
- Jammu–Srinagar corridor: 36 tunnels, 23 of which are complete, aimed at making the route all-weather and reducing travel time drastically.
- Parvatmala scheme: 15 ropeways and 35 logistics parks to connect Himalayan and tribal regions into the national highway grid.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has also committed ₹10 lakh crore toward converting 25,000 to 30,000 km of two-lane highways into four-lane corridors, employing Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) and Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) models to mobilize private capital.
Gadkari’s goal: complete America-scale infrastructure by 2027, with state-of-the-art technology, sustainable design, and global benchmarks.
Logistics Cost Down, Global Praise Up: The Economic Impact of India’s Road Push
Nitin Gadkari pointed out that poor road infrastructure used to inflate India’s logistics cost to nearly 16% of GDP—a significant bottleneck for trade and industrial competitiveness. However, with the surge in high-speed corridors and better port-road integration, that figure has dropped to around 9%.
This has real impact:
- Freight costs down → Cheaper exports
- Faster delivery → Boost to e-commerce and MSMEs
- Reduced fuel usage → Cleaner environment and economic savings
- Fewer congested cities → Better quality of life for citizens
Gadkari’s ministry is also working to bring logistics costs to 8% of GDP, which would place India on par with global leaders like Germany and Japan. According to him, this transformation is central to PM Modi’s Gati Shakti masterplan, which unifies roads, railways, ports, and air cargo for seamless mobility.
Several foreign delegates, including those from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, have reportedly praised India’s expressways, saying “they are better than America’s” — a sentiment Gadkari says motivates the government to aim even higher.
