Lord William Bentinck, the Governor-General of India from 1828 to 1835, played a pioneering role in the development of modern road infrastructure in India, especially regarding the Grand Trunk Road (GT Road).
The Grand Trunk Road (GT Road) is one of Asia’s oldest and longest major roads.
Its roots go back to ancient times (even before the Mauryan Empire), and it was later renovated by Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century, connecting Sonargaon (now in Bangladesh) to Peshawar (now in Pakistan).
Bentinck recognized the strategic and economic importance of having a proper, all-weather road connecting major regions.
Under his administration, work began to “metal” (i.e., cover with crushed stone or gravel) the road to make it usable year-round and more efficient for military, administrative, and commercial purposes.
He initiated the metalling of the 2,400-km stretch of the Grand Trunk Road from:
Calcutta (now Kolkata) → through Benares (Varanasi) → Allahabad → Kanpur → Delhi → to Peshawar.
Though the GT Road was an ancient route, this was the first serious effort to convert it into a durable, all-weather road suitable for wheeled transport.
Bentinck prioritized the segment from Calcutta to Delhi, making it the first major metalled highway project in colonial India.
This project set the template for future road-building policies in British India.
Quicker movement of troops and supplies.
Faster postal and administrative communication.
Boosted trade and commerce between eastern and northern India.
It was one of the earliest examples of planned infrastructure development in British India.
The metalling of the Grand Trunk Road is considered a milestone in the modernization of India’s transport network.
Much of the National Highway 2 (NH-2) and the current NH-44 and NH-19 follow the old GT Road alignment.
The road remains an essential artery connecting eastern, northern, and northwestern India.
