A road is a large path that connects two points, usually with a well-prepared surface that cars may use. The road is made up of one or two highways with one, two, or more lanes each, as well as a pedestrian path and road verges. Bicycle paths, or bicycle roads, can be parallel to or not parallel to other roads. Roads are known by many different names, including highway, parkway, roadway, thoroughfare, street, expressway, carriageway, bypass, lane, and so on. Roadways are classed according to a variety of factors, and each of these factors is further subdivided into several types of roads.This article will explain to you the Classification of roads which will be helpful in Geography preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

Roads in India

• India is a large nation, and the country's economic growth is dependent on its goods and cost-effective transportation to marketing centres.
• Roads are important for both our country's defence and cultural advancement.
• Despite the fact that India is a land of villages, national highways receive more care than district or village roads.
• The road contributes significantly to economic development and growth, as well as providing significant social advantages.
• A road network in the battle against poverty gives access to jobs, social, health, and education services.
• The importance of road infrastructure to the country's overall growth cannot be overstated.

Classification of Roads

• India's roads are divided into different types based on their function.
  • National Highways
  • State Highways
  • District Roadways
  • Village roads
  • Border Roads
  • International Highways
  • Expressways and Freeways

National Highways

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways owns India's national highways, which comprise a network of trunk roads.
• The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), and state governments' public works departments (PWD) construct and operate it.
• These highways connect state capitals, major cities, and significant ports, as well as linking up with border routes, and are intended for inter-state and strategic defence movements.
• These are the lifeblood of road transport and the foundation of India's road infrastructure.
• As of March 2021, India had 151,019 kilometres (93,839 mi) of National Highways.
• The ancient Sher Shah Suri Marg is designated as National Highway 1, and it connects Delhi and Amritsar. National Highway 7 is the longest, connecting Varanasi and Kanyakumari.
• Maharashtra has the longest National Highway, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, according to statistics from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

National Highways - Government Initiatives

• The National Highways Development Project (NHDP), which began in 1998, is a project to improve, rebuild, and enlarge India's major highways.
• The Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) project, which began in 1999, is a national highway system that connects India's key economic, agricultural, and cultural centres. It connects India's four largest metro cities, namely Delhi (north), Kolkata (east), Mumbai (west), and Chennai(south).
• The Bharatmala Pariyojana ('India garland project') is a government of India-sponsored and-funded road and highways project.
• By interconnecting 24 logistics parks, 66 inter-corridors (IC) totaling 8,000 km (5,000 mi), 116 feeder routes (FR) totaling 7,500 km (4,700 mi), and 7 north east Multi-Modal waterway ports, the Bharatmala Project will connect 550 District Headquarters (from current 300) through a minimum 4-lane highway, increasing the number of corridors to 50 (from current 6) and moving 80 percent freight traffic (currently 40 percent) to National Highways.
• All current highway projects, including the flagship National Highways Development Project (NHDP), would be absorbed into the umbrella programme.

State Highways

• These highways link a state's major cities and communities. The state Public Works Departments construct and maintain state highways.
• State governments build and maintain these, which connect state capitals with district headquarters and other key municipalities.
• These highways account for around 3.5 percent of India's total road length.
• Although state highway building and maintenance are the responsibility of the respective state governments, the Centre now offers financial assistance for state highway development through the Central Road Fund (CRF), which was revamped in 2000.
• Furthermore, the federal government gives a 100% grant for inter-state connections and a 50% grant for important economic initiatives from the CRF.
• Maharashtra has the most state roadways, followed by Karnataka, Gujarat, and other states.

District Roadways

• Major towns and significant villages are connected to the District headquarters via District Roads. The Zilla Parishad and the Public Works Department are responsible for the construction and maintenance of these roads.
• These routes connect the district headquarters to the district's other locations.
• Zila Parishads are responsible for the development and upkeep of these roads.
• In this category, Maharashtra is at the top.
• They make up 14 percent of the country's total road length.

Village roads

• Village panchayats are primarily responsible for these, which connect villages with surrounding towns and cities.
• During the rainy season, these are usually dusty tracks that become muddy and unusable.
• When the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched in December 2020, it gave village roads a new lease on life.
• This is a 100 percent Centrally Sponsored Scheme to provide rural connectivity to unconnected habitations of 500 or more people ( 250 people in case of hilly, desert and tribal areas)

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

• In December 2000, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was established with the goal of providing unrestricted all-weather road connection to India's disconnected villages.
• It is a government-sponsored programme that is part of the government's poverty-reduction policies.
• Rural regions with a population of 500 or more in plain areas, as well as hill states, including the Northeast, desert states, tribal territories, and other backward areas with a population of 250 or more, are eligible for the scheme.
• The programme includes provisions for the upgrading of existing roads in these regions, in addition to the construction of new roads, with the primary goal of providing connection to disconnected habitations.
• All-weather roads are those that may be utilised at any time of year and in any season.
• Even if the surface quality is poor, the policy does not fund repairs to black-topped or cement roads.
• The federal government covers 60% of the expense, with the northeastern and hill states receiving 90% of the financing.

Expressways

• Expressways are one of the most advanced forms of access-controlled highways, with ramps controlling the expressway's entry and departure.
• As the name implies, they are designed to allow for a free flow of high-speed traffic.
• Expressways are meant to go swiftly while maintaining a high level of comfort and safety by avoiding steep bends, congested crossroads, and railroad crossings.
• Only expressways are allowed to have vehicles with extreme acceleration. Pedestrians, heavy-duty vehicles, and cargo trucks are not permitted.
• On expressways, parking, loading, and unloading are severely forbidden.

Freeways

• Access-controlled roadways are another name for freeways.
• Wide highways built for fast-moving cars to cover vast distances at faster speeds are known as freeways.
• These are usually four lanes in length, with two lanes in each direction. Because there are no railway or road crossings or signals, traffic on freeways moves at a constant and unfettered pace.
• As previously stated, access is restricted everywhere, and the vehicle never comes into touch with the opposing flow of traffic on these types of roadways.
• To keep traffic isolated from other roadways Only ramps provide access to freeways.
• To provide a path for roads that cross highways, bridges or underpasses are built.

Border roads and International highways

• The Border Road Organisation (BRO) was founded in May 1960 with the goal of advancing economic growth and enhancing defence preparedness by improving strategically significant roads along the country's northern and north-eastern borders in a timely and coordinated manner.
• It is a renowned construction firm with a wide range of services.
• It has built highways connecting Chandigarh and Manali (Himachal Pradesh) and Leh in high-altitude mountainous region (Ladakh).
• The average elevation of this road is 4,270 metres above mean sea level.
• The BRO also clears snow in high-altitude places, in addition to building and maintaining roads in strategically vital areas.
• By offering effective connectivity with India, international roads are intended to create a cordial relationship with neighbouring nations.
• The country's road network is not evenly distributed.
• The road density (the number of kilometres of road per 100 square kilometres of land) ranges from 12.14 kilometres in Jammu and Kashmir to 517.77 kilometres in Kerala, with a national average of 142.68 kilometres in 2011.
• Most northern states and big southern states have a high density of roadways.
• The Himalayan area, the north-eastern region, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan have low levels.

Other Classifications of Roads

Arterials

• Arterials are roads built within a city or municipality to transport a high amount of traffic.
• An arterial route connects the major business district to the surrounding residential regions. Access to highways is provided through arterials.
• Pedestrians are only permitted to cross the street at intersections or marked pedestrian crossings. At junctions, a signalling system regulates traffic flow.
• Parking is not permitted on major thoroughfares.

Earthen Roads

• Earthen Roads are roads that are built utilising the available dirt on the location. These are the least expensive roads in the system.
• Earthen roads are intended for relatively light traffic.
• The available dirt is spread in two to three layers, and the road surface is compacted using a rammer to expel the extra spaces in the soil.
• These roads are often known as temporary roads since they are typically used to move construction trucks while erecting a structure or to move army vehicles during times of war.
• It is not suggested to use earthen roads during the monsoon season since the soil may wash away during the rain.

Gravel roads

• Gravel roads are the second cheapest of all road kinds, and they are also superior to earthen roads.
• The surface of this sort of road is paved and compacted with a mixture of gravel and earth (available dirt at the location).
• Metal roads are another name for gravel roads. These roads are simple to construct and are typically found in settlements.

Bituminous roads

• The bituminous substance is a black viscous and sticky material that forms during the distillation of petrol.
• Bituminous roads are widely utilised across the world because they are simple to construct and give a smooth, even surface finish.
• The thickness of the bitumen road is determined by the subgrade soil at the site.
• It is always suggested that bitumen roads be laid in two layers.

Concrete roads

• Concrete roads are those that are constructed utilising cement concrete materials.
• These are the most expensive highways of all types.
• This form of road is preferred in areas with large traffic volumes, and it takes longer to build concrete roads since the concrete requires adequate drying.
• A concrete road has a life expectancy of 40 years, but a bituminous road has a life expectancy of 3 years.

Factors Influencing Roads

• The density of roads is mostly determined by the nature of the terrain and the amount of economic development.
• Road construction is simple and inexpensive in flat locations, but complex and expensive in hilly and plateau areas.
• The quality of roads in plains is often higher than in high altitude, rainy, and wooded areas.
• Road density will be higher in places with a high level of economic development than in areas with a low level of economic development. For example, Maharashtra has a higher road density than Himachal Pradesh.
• Road density will be higher in regions with a higher concentration of industry than in areas with a lower concentration of industry. Jamshedpur, for example, has a higher road density than Patratu in Jharkhand.
• Road density will be higher in cities and towns than in rural regions.

Importance of Roads

• Roadways serve as specific connections for feeder roads to major railway lines and ports. This is critical for the growth of domestic and international trade.
• Road connectivity for around 50 small ports and 24 airports serves the aim of linking basic infrastructure.
• By the conclusion of the 12th five-year plan, all communities will be linked by all-weather roads. They play a vital role in the development of the rural economy.
• Road construction in Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected areas will continue, and projects begun in the Eleventh Plan will be finished during the 12th five-year plan.
• Under the Tribal Sub-Plan, a Special Package for the building of roads of roughly 1000 km length in Scheduled Areas (under the Fifth Schedule) has been undertaken.
• The Trans-Arunachal Pradesh Highway Project has accelerated road development in the North East. The capacity of NHAI and BRO would be expanded for this purpose.
• Strategic factors guide the development of state road projects in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Reforms to the Motor Vehicles Act have been implemented in order to facilitate interstate transportation through simpler processes. Truck terminals have been built to alleviate traffic congestion.

Current Initiatives

Electronic Toll Collection (ETC)

• Under the chairmanship of Shri Nandan Nilekani, a group was formed to modernise India's road infrastructure.
• The Committee's recommendations for the usage of National Highways have been adopted and announced by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• In 2012, a pilot project using ETC was launched on a part of NH-5 between Delhi and Parwanoo. The second trial project will run between Mumbai and Ahmedabad

NATRIP

• The National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRIP) will be under the Department of Heavy Industry (with representatives from the automobile sector)
• It aims to set up testing, validation, and R&D infrastructure across seven locations in India

SARDP-NE

• The special accelerated road Development program for the North Eastern Region has been rolled out for improving road connectivity between State Capitals and District HQs in the North Eastern Region.

Bharatmala Project

• The "Bharat Mala" project will span 13 states across a 5300-kilometre stretch, beginning in Gujarat and continuing through Rajasthan, Punjab, J&K, Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and finishing beyond the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur and Mizoram.
• It would cost between Rs 12000 and 14000 crores over a three-year period.
• The route is like a garland that graces the country, thus the name "Bharat Mala."
• This has a strategic component that involves fighting the remarkable Chinese network build-up across the border, as well as providing access to border-hugging districts and improving border trade.
• Given their strained financial sheets, private involvement to cover the gap may not materialise, putting the onus on the government.

Conclusion

The country's economic development is dependent on its goods and cost-effective transportation to marketing hubs. Roads are important for both the defence of our country and the advancement of our culture. Nationally significant routes receive more attention than district or local roads. The road contributes significantly to economic development and growth, as well as providing significant social advantages. The importance of road infrastructure to the country's overall growth cannot be overstated.