1.1.1.4. Road Density

The distribution of roads in India is highly uneven. The density of roads (length of roads per 100 sq km of area) varies from only about 10.5 km in Jammu and Kashmir to about 400 km in Kerala. The national average of road density is about 75 km per 100 sq km. The density of roads is generally high in most of Northern and Southern states. It is low in the Himalayan region, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. This is due to the topography and the level of economic development of the areas. The construction of roads is easy and cheaper in plain areas than in the hilly and plateau regions. Keeping in view the volume of goods traffic and passengers, the road network is not only insufficient, but also inefficient. About 45 per cent of the roads in India are unmetalled and this restricts their use during the rainy season and also for heavy vehicles.