India has a large and extensive transportation system. The country has one of the world`s largest roadway network transporting millions of people every year. The total length of roads in India is over 30 lakh kms including both metalled and unmettaled roads. In terms of road length, India has one of the largest road networks in the world. The national highways account for less than 2% of the total road network but carry 40% of the movement of goods and passengers. The roadworthiness of India`s growing vehicle population depends to a large extent on the quality of India`s 2.2 million-km road networks. Roads maybe classified into: National Highways, State Highways, Major District Roads and Other Roads (urban, village and Panchayat roads).

Indian National Highways:
In India, the National Highways are the main long-distance roadways. They are maintained by the Central Government, and the majority are two-lane (one in each direction). They span about 58,000 km, of which 4,885 km are central-separated expressways. Indian highways comprise around 2% of the road network, but they carry nearly 40% of the total traffic. The National Highways Development Project, currently being implemented, seeks to massively expand India`s highway network.

State Highways
State highways cover approximately 200,000 kilometers. The State is having a total network of 4676 kms of National Highways, which need improvement or strengthening. These are arterial routes of a state linking district headquarters and important cities within the state and connecting them with National Highways or Highways of the neighbouring states. Of the total length of 7163 Km of State Highways, 2050 km is single lane, 936 Km is intermediate lane, 3980 km is double lane, and 197 Km is multilane. The Government of Tamil Nadu have, therefore, decided to widen and strengthen the entire length of single lane and intermediate lane to double lane and strengthen double lane and multilane with improvement to geometric etc.

Major District Roads
These are important roads within a district serving areas of production and markets and connecting these with each other or with the Main Highways. It also connects Taluka headquarters and District headquarters. Of the total length of 7362 Km of Major District Roads, 4797 Km is single lane, 757 km is intermediate lane, 1761 Km is double lane and 47 Km is multilane. As Major District Roads catalyse the inflow of resources into development within districts.

Other Roads
These are roads serving rural areas of production and providing them with outlet to market centers, Taluk headquarters, Block Development headquarters or other main roads. Of the total length of 40963 Km of Other District Roads as on date, merely 898 km is intermediate lane, 680 Km is double lane and 37 Km is multilane. As these roads are intended to generate sound economy in rural areas, the Government of Tamil Nadu have immense interest to improve the existing damaged 27892 km of single lane section, 679 km of intermediate lane section, 26 km of multilane section and renewal of 483 km of double lane section with improvement to geometrics.

India has nearly 2 million kilometers of roads: 960,000 kilometers of surfaced roads and more than 1 million kilometers of roads in India are constructed of gravel, crushed stone, or earth. Fifty-three highways, just fewer than 20,000 kilometers in total length, are rated as national highways, but they carry about 40 percent of the road traffic. To improve road transportation, significant efforts were begun in the 1980s to build roads to link major highways, to widen existing roads from single to double lanes, and to construct major bridges.

Grand Trunk Road
The Grand Trunk Road (abbreviated to GT Road) is one of South Asia`s oldest and longest major roads. For several centuries, it has linked the eastern and western regions of the Indian subcontinent, running from what is now Pakistan, across north India, into Bangladesh.