Skip to main content

Middle East funding for Indian roads

Funding from the Middle East looks set to help develop new Indian highway projects. Some $15.6 billion from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), a UAE-based sovereign wealth fund, will be directed towards highway projects in India. This will be used for 50 highway projects in India on a toll-operate-transfer (TOT) basis. The Indian Government is planning to award 104 highway projects under the TOT model that will allow investments by private equity firms, infrastructure developers and institutional in
February 15, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Funding from the Middle East looks set to help develop new Indian highway projects. Some $15.6 billion from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), a UAE-based sovereign wealth fund, will be directed towards highway projects in India. This will be used for 50 highway projects in India on a toll-operate-transfer (TOT) basis. The Indian Government is planning to award 104 highway projects under the TOT model that will allow investments by private equity firms, infrastructure developers and institutional investors such as pension and wealth funds. The TOT model will also allow the government to hand over operations of tolled roads to the private sector.

India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways says that it will increase the length of national highways to 200,000km from the existing 96,000km. This move will help cut congestion as around 40% of the country’s traffic uses India’s national highway network, despite this network comprising just 2% of the total road system. Some key projects are already in planning with $206.26 million being allocated for the east-west highway and plans for a second highway linking Dasna and Delhi that will feature 14 lanes. Meanwhile South Korean firm Daewoo Engineering & Construction (Daewoo E&C) will partner with Indian company L&T to construct the $480 million, six lane bridge spanning the River Ganges. The new route will stretch for nearly 23km and will be built in Bihar State.

Related Content

  • Increased infrastructure spending
    February 22, 2012
    With economies booming in the BRIC countries and other regions, spending on infrastructure is at a high - Patrick Smith reports As economic crisis grips much of the world, many countries are still spending billions on infrastructure to improve transportation. While the USA and Europe struggle with debt problems (and this has affected much of the rest of the world) the development of highways, airport, ports and other infrastructure is gathering pace in other regions to boost economic developments.
  • Restart ahead for Nairobi-Mombasa toll road
    May 16, 2025
    Full feasibility study for the US$3.5bn Nairobi to Mombasa toll road is handed over to Kenya National Highways Authority
  • New northern relief road for Moscow
    August 20, 2015
    New Concession Company to build northern relief road of Moscow Kutuzov Avenue – Eugene Gerden writes New Concession Company has won a tender for the building of the Northern relief road of Kutuzovsky Avenue, a major radial avenue in the Russian capital Moscow. The firm is part of Leader company (one of Russia's largest management companies), owned by Yuri Kovalchuk, a well-known Russian businessman, who is reportedly close to Russia’s president Vladimir Putin. It is planned that the building of the n
  • Poland's ambitious highway construction plans
    July 10, 2012
    The European football championships are among a number of things pushing Poland's ambitious highway building programme. Patrick Smith reports. Poland is planning to spend a colossal €4.57 billion on road projects in 2009, a 35% increase over the previous year. T