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

  • A new highway for northern Colombia
    July 17, 2023
    The Pamplona-Cúcuta highway is playing an important role for the development of northern Colombia
  • Road pricing revenue a source of investment funds
    February 16, 2012
    When channelled back into the road sector, revenue from road charging is seen by many as a source of additional investment and research funds as Patrick Smith reports. Late in 2010, three major European organisations put out a policy statement calling for fair charging for greener, smarter and safer road infrastructure. ASECAP (the European toll road operators organisation); ERF (European Road Federation) and the IRU (International Road Transport Union), said that in recent years the concept of road chargin
  • Major Indian highway projects
    February 17, 2012
    Planning is underway in India on key highway projects in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan as well as a new link to connect the latter to capital Delhi.
  • Golden route to success
    July 20, 2012
    Built in 1937 and still the ninth longest suspension bridge in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge across San Francisco Bay remains in fine shape despite its age - Andrew Bardin Williams writes The Golden Gate Bridge turned 75 years old on May 27 and continues to play a key role in the transportation, engineering, construction and ITS communities. The structure has played an important historical role, an engineering success that boosted the economy of the region. And it also led the way as the first major pub