To improve highway infrastructure, NHAI to collaborate with premier technical institutes

New Delhi [India], July 13 : To provide a world-class National Highways (NH) network, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has approached all IITs, NITs, and reputed engineering colleges for improving highway infrastructure leveraging local expertise.
NHAI will collaborate and adopt nearby stretches of NH, on a voluntary basis, as part of Institutional Social Responsibility (ISR).
A large number of IITs, NITs, and engineering colleges opted to join the scheme and NHAI officers have started mutual consultation with directors of the interested institutes.
"The objective is to leverage the intellectual prudence of students and faculty towards the improvement of road infrastructure ecosystem of the country. The institutes along with its faculty and students have a better appreciation of local requirement, topography, resource potential, etc," said NHAI official.
These vital inputs can be utilised by NHAI during different stages of pre-construction, construction and operation of National Highways stretch.
The official added, "This decentralised approach, besides building a sense of participation in decision making will also provide an opportunity to the students for hands-on-learning, option for an internship, and future areas of research."
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the individual institutes and NHAI for the institutionalisation of the scheme and bring reformative improvements in the road infrastructure of the country.
The adoption of stretch by the institute opens an avenue for access to important data which can be used to improve the quality and safety aspects of NH and enhance the local capacity of the institute in terms of the advanced lab and simulation systems.
It would help to mitigate the routine local problems such as traffic movement, congestion, and immediate identification of accident-prone sites.
"The highway users become more empowered in resolving local problems through the institute and the authority. Such instances would help NHAI in understanding the local needs both in the present and future projects, improve the maintenance and riding comfort, and develop wayside amenities for enhanced user experience," said the official.
The overall outcome shall be a commuter-friendly and enjoyable ride on the National Highway stretch.