One Meter High Boundary Wall, Minimum 60 Meter Width, Wayside Amenities and More; NHAI Issues New Guidelines for High-Speed Highways

NHAI has released new guidelines for the planning and design of high-speed access-controlled National Highways, other than Expressways. The guidelines were published by PIB Delhi on September 21, 2026.

The guidelines will apply to all upcoming 4/6 lane Greenfield and Brownfield high-speed access-controlled National Highways. They aim to bring uniformity to the preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for such corridors and to standardise technical and safety provisions.

According to NHAI, no separate standards and specifications currently govern the planning and design of access-controlled high-speed National Highways other than Expressways. Variations have been observed in the standards adopted for DPRs of these corridors.

Under the new framework, lane configuration will be standardised based on traffic assessment:

• Traffic flow up to 15,000 vehicles: four-lane highway with four-lane structures, width of 60 metres
• Traffic flow between 15,000 and 25,000 vehicles: four-lane highway with six-lane structures, width of 70 metres
• Traffic flow between 25,000 and 40,000 vehicles: six-lane highway with six-lane structures, width of 70 metres

The guidelines prescribe additional safety measures for high-speed traffic, including advance notification of exits and entries so that highway users can anticipate upcoming access and egress points.

Interchanges with ramps will be provided at crossings with Expressways, National Highways, State Highways and important arterial roads that generate substantial traffic. These will also be provided on roads connecting to major traffic-generating destinations such as ports, airports, Multi-Modal Logistics Parks (MMLPs), industrial areas and major tourist destinations.

To strengthen access control, the guidelines prescribe a 1-metre-high boundary wall along the outer edge of the corridor. NHAI said this is to prevent encroachments, unauthorised access and the entry of stray cattle onto high-speed corridors.

The guidelines are aligned with the government’s target of developing 50,000 km of access-controlled high-speed corridors under Viksit Bharat 2047.