India has the second-largest road network in the world after the US with 5,897,671 km.
“Life is a highway – the enjoyment you get depends on the lane you choose,” a beautiful quote by Joel Fuhrman that signifies the merriment of travelling, eased with the development of highways that provide secure and time-saving roads.
When we travel we love looking at the scenery, people and milestones passing us by. These milestones at several distances, change colours, which we all have witnessed but never cared to find the meaning behind.
So, I will tell you their purpose and importance:
- Yellow & White Milestones: The National Highways (NH) are denoted with this coloured milestone. India has 1,51,019 km of a national highway network as of March 2021 with 2.7 per cent constituting India’s total road network. NH connects states and cities and carries out 40 per cent of road traffic, used mainly for long-distance travel and freight traffic. National Highways are maintained by the Central government.
- Green & White Milestones: The State Highways (SH) are denoted with this coloured milestone. India has 1,76,166 km of a state highway network with Maharashtra (22.14 per cent) constituting the largest state network, followed by Karnataka (11.11 per cent), Gujarat (9.76 per cent), Rajasthan (8.62 per cent) and Tamil Nadu (6.67 per cent). SH connects states and districts and is maintained by state governments.
- Black & White Milestones: The Big City or District Roads are denoted with this coloured milestone. India has 561,940 km of district roads which are maintained by District authorities. They are sometimes denoted with Blue & White colour as well.
- Orange & White Milestones: The Rural roads are denoted with this coloured milestone. These roads form about 70.23 per cent of the total roads and hence are built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
So, there you have it folks, the milestones and the different colours they represent.