NHAI Accepts ₹6,221 Crore Offer from National Highways Infra Trust to Monetise 310 km of Highway Assets

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has accepted an offer of ₹6,220.90 crore from National Highways Infra Trust (NHIT) for the monetisation of two national highway sections totalling 310.35 kilometres, spanning the states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

The assets covered under the agreement include the 255.97-km Amravati–Chikhali–Tarsod section of NH-53 in Maharashtra and the 54.38-km Gundugolanu–Chinna–Avutapalli section of NH-16 in Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking on the development, NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav said the InvIT structure was playing a critical role in channelling financial capital toward the further development of the national highway network. "With this award, total assets monetised through NHIT will be ₹49,858 crore," he said.

NHIT is an Infrastructure Investment Trust sponsored by NHAI. It has completed four rounds of capital raising, attracting institutional investors including the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), NHAI itself, and the SBI Group. The trust currently counts more than 700 investors and carries a market capitalisation of approximately ₹28,000 crore, with its units listed on both the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Asset monetisation has become a central pillar of NHAI's strategy to unlock value from its existing portfolio and draw in private-sector investment. By utilising models such as Toll-Operate-Transfer (ToT) and InvIT structures, the authority generates funds that are reinvested in new national highway construction. Total highway assets monetised during the current financial year stand at approximately ₹28,077 crore.

NHAI has said the approach is intended to ensure the financial sustainability of highway development while also introducing private-sector efficiencies and advanced technologies, with the aim of improving the quality and long-term durability of national highway assets.