A major highway construction project in Andhra Pradesh has etched its name into the Guinness World Records, showcasing India’s growing capacity for high-speed, large-scale infrastructure execution. Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari announced on Sunday that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has achieved global recognition for completing the longest continuous bituminous concrete paving in a 24-hour period.

The record was set on January 6, 2026, on the Vanavolu–Vankarakunta stretch of National Highway 544G, a key segment of the Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada Economic Corridor. According to the Guinness World Records certification, construction teams successfully laid 28.95 lane-kilometres of bituminous concrete within a single day. In the same 24-hour window, they also placed 10,675 tonnes of bituminous material, a quantity that has been independently recognised as a world record for the highest volume laid in a continuous paving operation over 24 hours.

Announcing the achievement on social media platform X, Gadkari described the feat as a landmark moment for Indian highway engineering. “Setting new global benchmarks in highway engineering, NHAI has created history by achieving two more Guinness World Records in continuous Bituminous Concrete paving,” he said, underlining the scale and precision involved in the operation.

The project forms part of the Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada Economic Corridor, an important infrastructure initiative aimed at improving connectivity between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh while boosting industrial, commercial, and logistical activity across the region. NH-544G is expected to play a crucial role in reducing travel time, improving freight movement, and enhancing economic integration across southern India once completed.

Officials associated with the project said the record-setting operation was carried out under standard quality control and monitoring protocols. Independent observers were present throughout the process to verify compliance with Guinness World Records requirements, ensuring that the paving was continuous, met technical specifications, and adhered to prescribed safety and quality standards.

In an official statement, NHAI detailed the scale of resources mobilised to achieve the feat. The authority, in association with concessionaire M/s Rajpath Infracon Private Limited, deployed a large fleet of modern construction equipment and machinery. This included 70 tippers for material transport, five hot-mix plants to ensure uninterrupted supply of bituminous concrete, one high-capacity paver, and 17 rollers to compact and finish the surface. The coordinated deployment of machinery and manpower was critical to maintaining consistency and speed over the entire 24-hour period.

Quality assurance was a central focus during the operation. NHAI said the paving process was monitored with the assistance of premier technical institutions, including IIT Bombay, as well as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Their involvement helped ensure adherence to the highest standards of construction quality, material performance, and operational safety. Continuous testing and real-time monitoring were carried out to ensure that the accelerated pace of work did not compromise durability or compliance with engineering norms.

The achievement is being seen within the government as evidence of the increasing maturity of India’s highway construction ecosystem. Over the past decade, NHAI has pushed for the adoption of advanced machinery, better project planning, and tighter timelines, with an emphasis on improving both speed and quality. Officials argue that such records are not merely symbolic but demonstrate practical improvements in execution capacity that can translate into faster project delivery nationwide.

This is not the first time Indian highway projects have found a place in the Guinness World Records. In June 2022, a stretch of NH-53 in Maharashtra, between Amravati and Akola, earned global recognition for laying 75 kilometres of continuous bituminous concrete in a single lane in 105 hours and 33 minutes. That effort surpassed a previous record held outside India and was widely cited by the government as an illustration of India’s ability to execute infrastructure projects at scale.

The Andhra Pradesh record builds on that momentum, this time focusing on intensity and volume within a compressed 24-hour period. While the Maharashtra record highlighted sustained performance over several days, the NH-544G achievement underscores the ability to mobilise resources rapidly and maintain uninterrupted operations over a shorter but highly demanding timeframe.

Experts note that continuous bituminous concrete paving is particularly challenging because it requires flawless coordination across multiple stages: material production, transport, laying, compaction, and finishing. Any disruption in supply or equipment performance can break continuity and invalidate record attempts. Achieving nearly 29 lane-kilometres in one day therefore reflects not only mechanical capacity but also careful planning, workforce management, and logistical precision.

From a policy perspective, the government sees such achievements as reinforcing its broader push for world-class infrastructure. Faster construction methods can help reduce project costs, minimise disruption to traffic, and accelerate the economic benefits of new highways. For corridors like Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada, improved road infrastructure is expected to attract investment, support industrial clusters, and enhance access to ports and markets.

At the same time, NHAI officials have emphasised that record-setting exercises are conducted within the framework of existing standards and are not intended to encourage unsafe practices. They stress that quality, safety, and durability remain non-negotiable, and that independent verification is integral to any such attempt.

With multiple large highway projects underway across the country, the latest Guinness World Records certification is likely to be used by the government to project confidence in India’s infrastructure delivery capabilities. For Andhra Pradesh, the recognition adds visibility to a project that is expected to play a key role in regional development once fully operational.

As India continues to expand and modernise its national highway network, such milestones signal not just faster construction, but a broader shift towards scale, efficiency, and global benchmarking in public infrastructure.