[9][10] BRO set a Guinness World Record in November 2021 for the "highest altitude road" at Umling La, Ladakh.

The BRO was formed on 7 May 1960 to secure India's borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and north-east states of the country.

Today, the BRDB exercises the financial and other powers of a Department of Government of India and is chaired by the Minister of State for Defence.

Among others, Chief(s) of Army and Air Staff, Engineer-in-chief, Director General Border Roads (DGBR), FA(DS) are members of the BRDB.

[7] The BRO operates in 18 projects namely: Arunank, Beacon, Brahmank, Chetak, Deepak, Dantak[25] (Bhutan), Himank, Hirak, Pushpak, Sampark, Yojak, Sewak, Shivalik, Swastik, Udayak, Vartak and Vijayak.

[26][27] The BRO also played a vital role in reconstruction work in the aftermath of the devastating 2004 tsunami in Tamil Nadu, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake,[33] and the 2010 Ladakh flash floods.

[34] Some of these projects carry out some of the development initiatives of the Indian government in foreign territories like Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Bhutan.

These include the Delaram-Zaranj Highway in Afghanistan, completed and handed over to the Afghan government during 2008,[35] and the restoration of the Farkhor[36] and Ayni[37] air bases in Tajikistan.

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.

[38][39] 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 1,360 kilometres (850 mi) India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway from Moreh in Manipur through Tamu, Myanmar to Mae Sot in Thailand.

Currently, surface access to high altitude posts on Sino-India border is closed for six months every year due to snowfall and rain, and supplies are through air lift only.

[47] Bulldozer operator Zalim Singh, Bar to the Shaurya Chakra, was crushed by boulders while clearing a strategic road for Indian Army tanks.

In November 2021, BRO received a Guinness World Record for the "highest altitude road" following construction at Umling La.

[49][11] In June 2021, with the assistance of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Kanchan Ugursandi made a solo motorcycle expedition to Umling La.