India has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for building the longest continuous laying of asphalt concrete, India’s Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced. Consultants and franchisors from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Rajpath Infracon Pvt Ltd and Jagdish Kadam have built a record 75 km of continuous asphalt concrete on a single lane of National Highway 53. NH-53 is located in Maharashtra between Amravati and Akola.

The team started road work at 7.27 am on June 3 and completed construction on the 75 km section at 5 pm on June 7 in 105 hours and 33 minutes. About 800 NHAI employees and 720 Rajpath Infracon workers, including independent consultants, are involved. 75 km of single-lane road is equivalent to 35 km of two-lane paved shoulder road.

Talking about the importance of the new road, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “The Amravati to Akola section is part of National Road 53, an important east-west corridor. It connects Kolkata, Raipur, Nagpur, Akola and other major cities, Durer and Surat, passing through the mineral-rich areas of our country. As far as I know, the Amravati to Akola section is nearly 35% complete, and the Akola to Chikli section is nearly 35% complete, the section is nearly 65% complete. So, with this achievement, commuters will be significantly lighter, traffic will be smoother, and travel times will be reduced.”

Previously, on February 27, 2019, the Qatar Ashgal Public Works Authority set the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous asphalt concrete road at 27.25 km. The road is part of the Al Khor Highway and takes ten days to complete.