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

  • Alleviating Moscow's ring road congestion
    April 10, 2012
    The US$10.5 billion CKAD (Moscow Region Ring Road), being planned and procured under the direction of the Ministry of Transport of Russia, is just one of the roads highlighted at the Moscow Forum.
  • Alleviating Moscow's ring road congestion
    February 20, 2012
    The US$10.5 billion CKAD (Moscow Region Ring Road), being planned and procured under the direction of the Ministry of Transport of Russia, is just one of the roads highlighted at the Moscow Forum.
  • Global credit squeeze impacts Australia's road construction
    July 13, 2012
    Roads Australia steps up in policy debate as road construction feels the pinch of the credit squeeze, as Mark Bowmer (RA media director) reports Like all markets around the world, Australia is feeling the effects of the global credit squeeze and its impact on the delivery of major infrastructure projects such as roads. In Sydney, for example, lack of funding (both from government and private sources) is seen as the major stumbling block to the construction of a much-needed eastern extension to Sydney's main
  • UK firm JCB is investing further in its Indian operations
    October 24, 2012
    JCB intends to further invest in its manufacturing operations in India. The company plans to spend US$99 million (£62 million) on developing a new factory on a 20.83ha site in the city of Jaipur. The signing of the land purchase agreement in Rajasthan marks the beginning of a new expansion phase for JCB India, reinforcing its strong position in the Indian market.