How Fixing Data Can End Infrastructure Delays in India

At least one major stretch of NH-66 in Kerala was recently found to be structurally compromised not because of flawed construction or weak materials, but because critical soil analysis was either inadequate or misinterpreted. According to reports filed in the Kerala High Court, the soil used in the highway embankment was saturated loamy soil that lacked bearing capacity, resulting in repeated ground slips and strain even before full commissioning was possible.

This is just one example, but it highlights a nationwide issue. In India, nearly 44% of major highway projects each worth over ₹150 crore have faced delays over the past year. While headlines often point to land acquisition or funding bottlenecks, behind many of these stalled projects is a more subtle problem: inaccurate, outdated or poorly coordinated project data, setting the stage for avoidable setbacks and overruns.

Inaccurate or incomplete data puts project execution at risk. Survey errors, missed design updates and fragmented information across teams often lead to field corrections, re-dos and on-site confusion. The cumulative effect isn’t just delay, it’s unplanned cost, erosion of client trust and safety risks. For instance, a misread topographic scan can postpone construction while teams revalidate alignment; design changes logged in one system may never reach the site team, causing work to start based on superseded assumptions.

According to another report, 449 infrastructure projects with investments of ₹150 crore and above recorded cost overruns totalling ₹5.01 lakh crore, with an average time delay of approximately 36 months. Faulty data lies at the root of many of these overruns. Without clean, structured and centralised information, each handoff from profile surveys to RFPs [requests for proposals] to site logs becomes a weak link in the chain.

Building on Data

The solution isn’t more spreadsheets or fancier email chains, it's rethinking how projects treat data. Imagine a system where survey results, BIM [building information modelling] models, fabrication schedules, procurement timelines and site updates all live in one cloud-based environment. Where every stakeholder, from surveyors and architects to contractors and site engineers, is looking at the same, live version of the project. Such integration establishes a reliable basis for cross-functional alignment.

Connected platforms can reverse this and resolve design conflicts digitally before they became expensive rework on site. But digital tools alone aren’t enough. Organisations need to build a culture around data ownership, version control and transparency. That means training field engineers in digital capture methods, standardising naming and versioning across offices and ensuring information is updated and shared not siloed into isolated files. When that begins, data stops being a static record and becomes a dynamic asset.

Government initiatives such as Gati Shakti, aimed at integrated infrastructure planning, already emphasise shared digital frameworks for planning and execution. But without private-sector follow-through consistent adoption of digital tools, standardised protocols and onsite accountability the promise remains aspirational rather than operational.

India’s infrastructure journey is at a tipping point. Project scales are expanding. Timelines are tightening. Funds are harder to come by and public scrutiny is sharper. In such an environment, there’s no margin for the hidden damage of poor data.

The encouraging aspect is that there are already resources available to address such problems. The construction industry today doesn't lack technology; rather, it lacks a clear and consistent approach to using it effectively. Implementing uniform, structured data practices and creating an environment of openness and responsibility can help projects cut down on delays, lessen expenses and enhance quality. Delivering long-lasting results and meeting India's expanding infrastructure needs require this targeted approach.