India is planning to bring nearly 52,647 km of four-lane-and-above National Highways and expressways under a phased Advanced Traffic Management System, or ATMS, network.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday (22 July), the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said the proposed architecture would include local, regional and national command-and-control centres.
These centres would use a unified software platform for traffic monitoring, enforcement, incident management, data integration and performance tracking.
“The Government envisages deployment of Advanced Traffic Management Systems
(ATMS) with the objective of improving road safety and reducing accidents on National
Highways,” Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari said.
What Is An Advanced Traffic Management System?
ATMS is a combination of cameras, sensors, communication equipment, control-room software and response systems used to monitor highway traffic in real time.
Its components can include:
- AI-based Video Incident Detection and Enforcement Systems
- Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras
- Pan-Tilt-Zoom and surveillance cameras
- Variable Message Signs
- Traffic and weather sensors
- Emergency call boxes
- Control rooms connected to highway patrols and emergency services
The objective is to detect incidents such as crashes, stationary vehicles or traffic violations early, alert operators and help field teams respond more quickly.
Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), an NHAI-promoted company, is currently procuring the software that would form the network’s central layer.
The deadline for bids for the Unified NHAI ATMS Software was extended to 27 July 2026, with technical bids scheduled to open the following day.
What Is The Need For One Unified Platform?
Existing ATMS installations have generally been developed for individual highway stretches. Different projects can have different software, interfaces, data formats and operating procedures, which can make it difficult to combine information from several corridors during a large accident, extreme-weather event or traffic disruption extending across project boundaries.
In his written reply, Gadkari stated that the implementation of ATMS was earlier being undertaken as part of National Highway projects as well as through standalone deployments.
“The cost towards ATMS implementation undertaken as part of National Highway projects is inbuilt by contractors/concessionaires in the civil works of highway construction in certain projects,” the minister added.
The new platform is being developed under a “One Nation, One ITS” framework.
According to the IHCML tender documents, it is intended to introduce standard interfaces and data models, allow different corridor systems to communicate and avoid repeated procurement of separate software for every project.
“The Unified ATMS Software is envisaged as a foundational Digital Public Infrastructure for
highway intelligence, comprising standardised digital building blocks, open and interoperable
interfaces, harmonised data models, and clearly defined governance frameworks to enable
uniform, pan-India traffic monitoring, enforcement, and corridor operations. It seeks to establish a cohesive national architecture on multi-tier Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS),” ” the document stated.
Together, this integrated framework will create a consistent and authoritative ‘single source of
truth’ for real-time highway operations, data-driven decision-making, and policy oversight across
the National Highways network.
“The objective is to move from project-based deployments to a repeatable national blueprint,
reducing deployment cycle time, eliminating corridor-specific redesign, and enabling continuous
technology upgrades without rewriting,” the document added.
How Will The Three-Level Network Function?
According to the tender document, the National ATMS operates within a three-tier command hierarchy that mirrors the administrative structure of NHAI and reflects the geographic and functional distribution of operations across India’s national highway network.
Local command centres
Around 667 Local Command and Control Centres (LCCC) are envisaged, generally covering stretches of around 75 to 100 km. These centres would receive camera and sensor feeds from their respective highway sections.
A local centre would handle day-to-day monitoring, equipment supervision and routine responses to minor and moderate incidents.
According to the tender document, these centres could be located at a major toll plaza or near the midpoint of an ATMS project stretch.
Regional command centres
The platform envisages around 20 regional centres, operating within five broader geographic zones: North (Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, HP, J&K, Punjab), South (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana), East (West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, North-East States), West (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa), and Central (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand).
These centres would receive information from multiple local centres, coordinate incidents affecting more than one highway project and provide consolidated regional updates to the national centre.
National command centre
The National Command and Control Centre is proposed as the highest layer, operating round the clock from NHAI headquarters in New Delhi.
It would provide a live national view of major incidents, corridor conditions and system performance.
For serious or cross-regional emergencies, it could coordinate with the police, emergency services, state governments, the National Disaster Response Force and other authorised agencies.
In practical terms, a collision detected by a camera could first be verified at the local centre. Highway patrol, ambulance or crane services could then be dispatched. A larger disruption involving several stretches could be escalated to the regional or national level, while motorists receive warnings through message boards or digital platforms.
Which Government Databases Could Be Connected?
The proposed software is designed to integrate with several existing systems, including:
VAHAN vehicle-registration records
- SARATHI driving-licence records
- FASTag and National Electronic Toll Collection data
- Police enforcement platforms
- Court-management systems
- The 1033 highway helpline
- Rajmarg Yatra
- State integrated command-and-control centres
How Is ATMS Rollout being done?
ATMS is already operational or under implementation on selected high-density corridors as the government is working on a phased approach for the execution of the project.
The Bengaluru-Mysuru, Dwarka Expressway and Urban Extension Road-II standalone ATMS projects have been completed while the Delhi-Agra corridor, Lucknow Ring Road projects have been under progress.
“The Government has adopted a phased roadmap for deployment of Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) across all 4-lane and above National Highways and Expressways (about 52,647 km),” the minister said in his reply.
“The roadmap includes establishment of Local, Regional, and National Command and Control Centers for centralized monitoring, incident management, traffic analytics, and coordinated response,” the minister said.
“To ensure interoperability, scalability, and uniform service delivery across the National Highway network, a Unified ATMS Software Platform is being implemented with standardized protocols for monitoring, enforcement, data integration, and performance management,” Gadkari added.
