Classification of Roads


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Classification of Roads

Classification of Roads on the Basis of Capacity: In India, roads are classified in six classes according to their capacity as given below:-

(i) Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways: This is a major road development project linking India's four largest metropolies, i.e. Delhi-Kolkata- Chennai-Mumbai by six-lane Super Highways. The North-South Corridor linking Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) and Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) and East-West Corridor connecting Silchar (Assam) and Porbandar (Gujarat) are also parts of this project.

These Super Highways reduce the time and distance between the mega cities of India. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is the staple agency for implementing these highway projects.

(ii) National Highways: They link extreme parts of the country, National Highways are the primary road systems, and are constructed and maintained by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) under NHAI's supervision. Some well-known National Highways are given below

National  HighwaysCities LinksRemarks
NH-1Delhi-Amritsar-Attari (Pakistan border)The combined length of NH-1 and NH-2 is also known as Sher Shah Suri Marg.
NH-2Delhi-Kolkata 
NH-3Agra-Mumbai via Indore 
NH-7Varanasi-(via Jabalpur, Nagpur, Hydrabad, Bangaluru and Madurai) KanyakumariThe longest National Highway (2,369 km)
NH-8Delhi-Mumbai via AhmedabadPart of the  Golden Quadrilateral
NH-15Pathankot to SamkhiyaliCovers most of Rajasthan

(iii) State Highways: These are roads linking a state capital with its district headquarters. They are constructed and maintained by the State Public Works Department (SPWD) in States and Union Territories.

(iv) District Roads: These roads connect the district headquarters with other places of the district. These roads are maintained by the Zila Parishad of the district.

(v) Other Roads: Rural roads, which link rural areas and villages with towns, are classified under this category. Under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), special provisions are made to link every village in the country to a major town by an all season motorable road.

(vi) Border Roads: The Border Roads  Organisation (BRO) contructs and maintains roads in the border areas of the country. It was started in 1960 for the development of roads of strategic importance in the Northern  and North-Eastern border areas of the country. Border roads have improved accessibility in areas of difficult terrain and have helped in the economic development of these areas.

Classification of Roads on the Basis of Material Used: Classification of roads is also done in the basis of material used for their construction. On this  basis, roads are of two types

(i) Metalled roads- may be  made of cement, concrete or even birumen of coal. Therefore, these are all weather roads.

(ii) Unmetalled or unpaved roads -can be of different types. They can be clay roads, which can only serve dry-season light traffic. They can also be heavy-duty crushed rock industrial roads which can serve heavy traffic. Unmetalled roads become difficult to use in the rainy season, as they do not use waterproof materials for construction.

Sample Questions
(More Questions for each concept available in Login)
Question : 1

Zila Parishad Maintains ________ .

Right Option : B
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Explanation
Question : 2

The organisation of the Indian Government which undertakes constrution and maintence of roads in the border areas of the country is :

Right Option : A
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Explanation
Question : 3

Which of the following roads have maximum strength?

Right Option : A
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Explanation
 
 
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