Paving India’s Path to Viksit Bharat by 2047, ETCIO

As India approaches its centenary of independence, the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 demands a radical transformation of infrastructure. KPMG in India’s report, “AI-powered Road Infrastructure Transformation – Roads 2047”, presents a blueprint for how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can redefine the future of India’s road sector—making it smarter, safer, efficient and more sustainable.

Below are key highlights from the report

Infrastructure Goals for a Developed India

• India envisions to become a global economic powerhouse by 2047, and the roads sector stands at the cusp of this growth story.
• With a road network spanning ~66 lakh kms., India boasts of one of the largest road networks in the world. This vast network serves as a critical driver of economic growth, industrial competitiveness, and social inclusion.
• To fuel this momentum, the road sector must evolve not just in scale, but in resilience, quality, and intelligence. This calls for a paradigm shift:

• From manual planning to AI-driven forecasting and design.
• From traditional construction to intelligent, machine-aided methods.
• From reactive maintenance to predictive asset management.
• From conventional traffic systems to adaptive, real-time mobility solutions.
• From one-time construction to lifecycle sustainability.
• From conventional project management to AI agent-based, real-time performance monitoring.

The Transformational Power of AI

• AI as the Intelligence Layer: AI enables smarter planning, construction, operations, and maintenance—transforming roads into dynamic, adaptive systems.
• AI-Driven Integration Across the Lifecycle:

• Planning & Design: AI analyses satellite imagery, LIDAR data, traffic simulations, and demographic data to forecast mobility needs and optimize alignments.
• Construction: AI leverages data from drone, robotics and project management systems for automated scheduling, resource optimization, and real-time quality control.
• Operations & Maintenance: AI enables predictive maintenance, traffic management, and defect detection via IoT sensors and image analytics.

• Productivity & Efficiency Gains:

• AI can improve construction productivity by up to 20%, reducing delays and cost overruns.
• Digital twins integrated with AI are transforming highway management with precision, real-time monitoring, and predictive upkeep.
• Smart technologies like intelligent compactors, IoT sensors, and computer vision enable comprehensive monitoring of road progress and construction quality, reducing failures.
• AI-driven equipment optimization and predictive maintenance improve fleet efficiency and reduce costs.

• With over 5 lakh road accidents annually and 29,000 fatalities on national highways in H1 2025, AI can proactively identify and address root causes.
• Integration with road user apps, helplines, and e-DAR enables faster, smarter incident response.
• AI-driven safety solutions, including collision avoidance and lane-keeping assistance, support India’s goal to halve road fatalities by 2030.
• Technologies include computer vision, smart IoT sensors, and integrated response platforms.

• Customer Experience Transformation:

• AI enables dynamic, data-driven road user engagement by analyzing real-time inputs from mobile apps, vehicles and infrastructure to anticipate needs and optimize travel.
• Crowdsourced data and AI-powered sentiment analysis empower authorities to improve road conditions, routing, and communication through personalized, automated responses.

• Sustainability & Net Zero Alignment:

• AI supports India’s Net Zero 2070 goals by optimizing material use, reducing emissions, and enabling green route planning.
• Tools include BIM for carbon modeling, smart energy sensors, and remote sensing for ecological impact.

Making AI Work for India’s Roads

• The Government must lead in creating a collaborative digital and data ecosystem—built on trust, common policies, standards, and legislation.
• A strong institutional model could include national AI Centers of Excellence for roads, startup sandboxes, and state-level data and AI mobility cells.
• AI-enabled roads require a secure, transparent, and interoperable data ecosystem—necessitating clear rules on data ownership, explainable AI, real-time audits and collaborative datasets tailored to India’s infrastructure needs.

Workforce Readiness

• Developing an AI-ready workforce is not just an academic imperative—it is a strategic necessity. Organisations must invest in targeted capacity-building to equip professionals to design, deploy, and manage AI technologies in infrastructure contexts.

Sharing his views, Suneel Vora, Partner and Head, Major Projects Advisory, Business Consulting, KPMG in India said “India’s road network is not just a conduit for connectivity—it is the backbone of our economic ambition. As we march towards Viksit Bharat 2047, AI offers a transformative leap, turning roads from static infrastructure into dynamic, intelligent systems that learn, adapt, and respond in real-time. By 2047, our roads will reflect not only scale, but also resilience, intelligence, and purpose.Commenting on the findings of the report, Ashutosh Kapoor, Partner, Business Consulting, Major Projects Advisory said “AI is not merely a tool—it is the intelligence layer that redefines how roads are planned, built, maintained and managed. From real-time construction monitoring with drones and digital twins to predictive maintenance, and automated quality assurance with AI-integrated equipment and sensor data, AI enables a shift from reactive infrastructure to proactive, adaptive systems. This is the future of mobility: connected, data-driven, and sustainably intelligent.

Lastly, India’s journey to Viksit Bharat 2047 will be driven on roads that are not just built—but intelligently engineered, sustainably managed, and digitally empowered by AI.

• Published On Sep 4, 2025 at 02:30 PM IST

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