Articles

Our roads: History and safety issues

15 March 2025

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By: Er. Mohammad Ashraf Fazili (Former Chief Engineer)

The history of roads is as old as the history of man on earth. Pre-historic men traced out narrow paths for hunting food. These narrow paths, known as footpaths or pathways, are considered the first road marks laid on the earth’s surface, such as the Silk Route from China to Europe passing through Kashmir. The utility and necessity of pathways gradually expanded with the introduction of wheeled carts. These pathways were widened into roadways, marking the beginning of roads as a means of communication and transport.

History of highway development in India:Indian civilization, one of the oldest in the world (4000 to 3000 BC), witnessed the growth of roads alongside its own development. Tracing the history of road development in India requires studying it in conjunction with the political, economic, and cultural evolution of the country.

Roads under early Indian rulers:
Ancient Indian history reveals advanced knowledge of road construction. Excavations at Mohenjodaro and Harappa (Pakistan) confirm a well-designed network of paved roads and streets dating back to 3500 BC.

Aryan period:
References in the Rig Veda (Part 1, Para 5) mention ‘Mahapaths’ as communication routes. Around 600 BC, a stone-paved road (6.1–7.3 m wide) was built in Rajgir (ancient Rajagriha) by King Bimbisara, which still exists today.

Mauryan period:
Roads were constructed with technical specifications for width, surface quality, and convexity (compared to a tortoise’s back). The Artha Shastra (circa 300 BC), written by Kautilya, Prime Minister to Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, details road specifications. Chandragupta Maurya (322–298 BC) established a communications department, built the GT Road connecting Patliputra (modern Patna) to the North-West frontier, and introduced signposts and milestones. Emperor Ashoka enhanced roads with trees, wells, and rest houses every 4.8–6.4 km, praised by Chinese traveler Fahien.

Roads during the Mughal period:
Roads significantly improved under Mughal rule. Chahar Gulshan (18th century) documents 24 key roads forming India’s network, regarded among the world’s finest. Muhammad Tughlaq built the Delhi-Daultabad road, while Sher Shah Suri constructed the longest road (Punjab to Bengal), now part of the Grand Trunk Road. Roads from Agra to Allahabad and Ujjain to Bijapur were also built, many of which survive today.

Roads during British rule:
The Mughal Empire’s decline led to road deterioration. Initially, the British repaired old Mughal roads and built new ones under military boards. Lord Dalhousie later established the Central Public Works Department for road maintenance. Lord Mayo and Lord Rippon advanced road development by transferring control to local bodies.

Railway expansion overshadowed roads, relegating them to feeder routes. Post-1919, provincial governments assumed responsibility for non-military roads. Post-World War I, motor transport strained existing roads, overwhelming local bodies. Central government interventions included:
a. Jayakar Committee (1927)
b. Central Road Fund (1929)
c. Indian Roads Congress (1934)
d. Nagpur Plan (1943–1963).

Post-independence developments:
a. Central Road Research Institute (1960)
b. National Highway Act (1956): Assigned national highway development to the central government.
c. Road Development Plan (1961–1981)

Mughal Road:
Emperor Akbar fortified the Lahore-Kashmir route into an ‘Imperial Road,’ now called the Mughal Road.

Old Banihal Cart Road:
W. Newman’s A Guide for Visitors to Kashmir (1898) mentions the Banihal route, restricted to royalty. Walter Roper Lawrence’s Valley of Kashmir (1895) laments the lack of a Banihal Pass link. The Srinagar-Rawalpindi Jhelum Valley Cart Road, operational by 1890, was built by Charles Spedding & Co. The ‘new’ Banihal Cart Road, completed in 1915 (cost: ₹40 lakh), opened to the public around 1922. Engineer Pt. Laxman Joo Tickoo led the project, ending the exploitative ‘Begar’ system.

Srinagar-Jammu National Highway (NH44):
Connects Srinagar to Jammu (now 265 km post-tunnel constructions). Managed by control rooms in Srinagar and Jammu, it traverses Pulwama, Anantnag, Kulgam, Ramban, Udhampur, and Jammu. Known for Patnitop, Jawahar Tunnel, Kud sweets, and Sarmuli tea, it faces winter closures due to avalanches. Maintenance includes tunnels and realignments to ease traffic.

Recent developments:

Tunnels: Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel and Banihal-Qazigund Tunnel reduced distance by 40 km.
Zojila Tunnel: Asia’s longest (14.2 km), foundation laid in 2018, cuts travel time by 2 hours.
Z-Morh Tunnel: 6.5 km tunnel links Gagangir to Sonamarg.
Flyovers: Constructed at Bemina, Sanat Nagar, and Nowgam crossings.
Service roads and widening: Ongoing upgrades from 4.5–11.5 km.

The ₹16,000 crore four-laning project (210 km completed) includes 21.5 km of tunnels and bridges like the Ramban Viaduct.

Roads in the Valley:
Pre-road transport relied on Jhelum River waterways. Early roads catered to horses and carts. The Jhelum Valley Road (Muzaffarabad) built by Maharaja Gulab Singh was severed post-1947. Banihal Cart Road emerged as an alternative. Post-independence projects include Moulana Azad Road, Gulmarg Road, and bridges like Zero Bridge and Budshah Bridge. Urban renewal initiatives (e.g., Circular Road Project) face unfinished tasks like KZP Road.

Road Safety:
A 1990s IRC conference in Srinagar addressed road geometry and safety. NH44’s terrain causes frequent accidents, mitigated by widening. Issues include inadequate signage, driving schools, laybys, and parking. Solutions proposed: