In response to the ever-present security threat from Pakistan and increased incursions and rapid border infrastructure from China, India, too, is undertaking border infrastructure development.
Project names by geography The BRO undertakes projects in India and friendly countries. These projects typically include developing roads, bridges, and airfields in hostile environments shunned by private enterprises, whether due to security concerns related to hostilities or because of environmental challenges. BRO has been active during the 1962 war, the conflicts with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, and has also been active in anti-insurgency operations in the northeast. (Bhutan), Himank, Hirak, Pushpak, Sampark, Yojak, Sewak, Shivalik, Swastik, Udayak, Vartak and Vijayak. Project Vijayak, raised in 2010, Project Vijayak has developed over 1,400 km of roads and 80 bridges in
Ladakh. On its 15th Raising Day in 2025, it announced ₹1,200 crore worth of new works, including tunnels, bridges, and advanced road technologies. The project is noted for reopening the
Zojila Pass within 31 days in 2025, and reflects India’s focus on connectivity and development in remote frontier
Yearly summary of roads constructed Border roads As per a July 2017 update to
Lok Sabha from the Government of India, construction of 73 completed strategic roads along the
Sino-India border was approved in 2005 with initial and currently revised deadlines of 2012–2013 and 2019–2020 respectively, including 43 by the Ministry of Defence and 27 by the Ministry of Home Affairs, of which only 21 roads by March 2017 and 30 roads by July 2017 have been completed and the remaining are under construction as progress was slowed down due to wildlife conservation and environmental approval, insurgency related security hurdles, delay in land acquisition by the states, inaccessible terrain, inclement weather, and other impediments. BRO is constructing 63 out of these 73 roads as it costs BRO to per km compared to to per km of road construction by the private companies. In two years alone, 2015–16 and 2016–17, prime minister
Narendra Modi's government has allocated more than US$4.7 billion in contracts for the development of border roads, which also includes the US$256 million
India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway from
Moreh in Manipur through
Tamu, Myanmar to
Mae Sot in Thailand. In July 2020, BRO was also tasked with
building new roads to connect eastern Bhutan to western
Tawang area such as
Lumla-
Trashigang road through
Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary.
Road bridges To provide multiple points of alternative connectivity to the forces, BRO is building 410 2-lane class-70 (heavy load bearing including tanks) road bridges along the long
McMahon Line border with China, including 144 in
Arunachal Pradesh (75 already under construction and will be completed by 2020), 100 under construction in
Jammu and Kashmir, 55 under construction in
Uttrakhand, 40 under construction in
Sikkim and 25 under construction in
Himachal Pradesh (c. Dec 2017). The annual pace of construction is of bridges (c. Dec 2017).
Border tunnels In November 2017, BRO announced the plan to construct 17 road and rail tunnels, with a total length of , on some of the 73 strategic roads on the Sino-Indian border to provide year-round all-weather rail and road surface connectivity. Currently, surface access to high altitude posts on the Sino-India border is closed for six months every year due to snowfall and rain, and supplies are through air lift only. Some of these 17 tunnels are already under construction, including
Srinagar-Kargil-Leh NH1 in J&K (
Zoji La pass tunnel),
Leh-Manali Highway in J&K and Himachal Pradesh (
Lungalacha La,
Bara-lacha la,
Tanglang La,
Shingo La near
Nimo and
Rohtang Tunnel), 578 meter
Theng Pass tunnel on NH310A between
Chungthang and
Tung in North Sikkim,
Nechipu Pass (near
Bomdila) and
Sela Pass tunnels on
Bogibeel Assam to Sagalee to Tawang NH13 in Arunachal Pradesh. This will reduce the travel time and operational costs, and eliminate the risk of avalanches and landslides. == Other projects ==