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Smart Highways: Technology & Sustainability on Indian Roads

Discover how India’s smart highways, from AI traffic systems to green infrastructure, are shaping the future of sustainable roads.

Pratik Kamble

02 Sep 2025 — 2 min read

Smart Highways

1. What Makes a Highway “Smart”?

Smart highways integrate advanced technologies, AI, IoT, sensors, and automation, to enhance safety, efficiency, sustainability, and user experience. These highways enable real-time monitoring, adaptive signaling, seamless tolling, EV support, and more.

2. Indian Innovations in Smart Highways

Delhi–Mumbai Expressway (E-Highway Initiatives)

Set to pioneer dedicated EV lanes, in-motion wireless charging, and battery swap points, boosting clean logistics.
Solar-powered lighting, rainwater harvesting, and plans for 4 EV-specific lanes make it a trailblazer.

Eastern Peripheral Expressway, India’s 1st Smart & Green Highway

Operates with solar-powered lighting and rainwater harvesting.
Equipped with highway traffic management and video incident detection systems (HTMS & VIDS), feeding into a 24/7 Central Control Room.

AI-Powered Traffic Management on Dwarka Expressway

India’s first AI-driven Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) launched, capable of detecting 14 types of traffic violations in real-time.

MLFF: Seamless, Barrier-Free Tolling

Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling introduced at toll plazas on Delhi–Chandigarh and NH-48 (Gujarat) for uninterrupted toll collection.

IoT Streetlights & Incident Tracking

Tambaram–Tindivanam NH in Tamil Nadu deployed GPS-linked IoT-enabled streetlights and geofenced monitoring for emergency services.

Green Highway Corridors

World Bank’s Green National Highway Corridors Project integrates eco-friendly construction (lime, fly ash, jute), along with slope stabilization techniques across multiple states.
Meerut pilot road uses green infrastructure and is set for expansion across 12 more cities.

Smart Construction & Asset Monitoring

Technologies like GPS-controlled graders, digital twins (e.g., Mumbai Trans Harbour Link), drone monitoring, and embedded sensors (e.g., Pune–Bengaluru highway) are enhancing quality, maintenance, and safety.

3. Safety & Sustainability on Smart Roads

The Zero Fatality Corridor model on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway reduced fatalities by over 50% through engineering, enforcement, and emergency response improvements.

4. Why Smart Highways Matter

Benefit	Description
Efficiency & Reduced Congestion	AI systems optimize traffic, minimize delays.
Safety Enhancements	Real-time incident response and violation detection cut accidents.
Clean Energy & Green Design	Solar lighting, rainwater harvesting, and eco construction reduce carbon footprint.
EV & Future-Ready Mobility	EV lanes, wireless charging, paving the way for clean transportation.
Digital Infrastructure Management	Predictive maintenance and real-time monitoring ensure long-term resilience.

5. The Road Ahead

With expressways like Delhi–Mumbai, Eastern Peripheral, and Mumbai–Nagpur (Samruddhi) embracing smart infrastructure and clean energy, India is steering toward a future-ready highway ecosystem. Continued innovation and adoption could transform transport entirely.

Conclusion

Smart Highways are not just a technical upgrade, they're an infrastructure revolution blending technology, sustainability, and efficiency. As India drives into this futuristic mode, these roads are setting benchmarks for global transport infrastructure.