Pariksha SaathiNHAI introduces independent design checks for major bridges and critical national highway structures
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has introduced a uniform system for independent checking of the designs and drawings of major bridges and other critical structures on its projects, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said on 15 October 2026. Designs of identified structures will be checked by empanelled IITs, reputed government technical institutions and experienced firms with expertise in bridge engineering and hydraulic studies, so that design issues are caught early and structures meet Indian Roads Congress codes and contract requirements. The policy covers major river bridges with a design discharge of 3,000 cubic metres per second or more, structures with an individual effective span of 40 metres or more, and other special or complex structures NHAI identifies; the checks cover structural calculations, drawings and, where applicable, hydrological and hydraulic studies on flood levels, waterway openings and scour at foundations. Under the procedure, the contractor or concessionaire submits the design, three empanelled institutions are proposed, one or more is selected to verify it, the contractor incorporates their observations, and NHAI then reviews or approves the design.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
NHAI was constituted under the National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988 and became operational in February 1995; it works under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and builds and maintains national highways, including under the Bharatmala Pariyojana approved in 2017. The Indian Roads Congress, set up in 1934, is the apex body of highway engineers that publishes the IRC codes used in bridge and road design. A cubic metre per second (cumec) is the unit for a river’s discharge, the volume of water passing a point each second.
Reference: NHAI’s official website (about NHAI)
Check yourself: does the new policy replace NHAI’s own approval of a bridge design?
No. The independent check comes before NHAI’s review; after the contractor incorporates the checker’s observations, NHAI still reviews or approves the design under the contract.
Revision task: from this release, note the two thresholds (3,000 cumecs of design discharge; 40 metres of effective span), who does the checking and the steps of the procedure, and keep them apart from the standing facts about NHAI above.
Test yourself
Under NHAI's policy announced on 15 October 2026, independent design checking applies to structures with an individual effective span of at least how many metres?
Show the answer
Answer: 40 metres
The policy covers structures with an individual effective span of 40 metres or more, major river bridges with a design discharge of 3,000 cubic metres per second or more, and other special structures NHAI identifies.
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