National Highways in India, Complete List, Updated Names
National Highways in India are governed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Check the List of National Highways in India and know about the longest national highway in India and other facts.
Parul Rishi6 Apr, 2024
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National highways in India are really important roads that connect different places in the country. They're built and looked after by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and are a big part of India's roads. These highways are super vital for moving things and people around, which is crucial for the country's economy. Covering lots of kilometres, these highways link big cities, small towns, and villages, helping things like goods and services travel across India. They're also really important for the military and are a key part of keeping the country safe.
National Highways in India
The National Highways in India are like a big web of roads that belong to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The longest one, National Highway 44, stretches over 4,112 kilometres. Most of these highways have four lanes, meaning there are two separate roads going in different directions. They're currently working on making many of them even wider, with six or more lanes. Some parts of these roads need tolls to use. India has a total of 599 national highways. They're built and taken care of by different groups like the public works departments of state governments, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). This article will talk about the total number of these highways in India, how long they are in each state, and some important things to know about them.National Highways
About 2.7% of India's roads make up the national highways. These highways are super important for people and goods to move around the country. The National Highways Authority India Act helped create these highways. India has an incredibly famous road system and it's the second-largest in the world. Some of the main national highways in India include NH 65, NH 147, NH 41, and NH 138.National Highways in India History
The National Highways Act of 1956 marked the government's commitment to building and managing India's national highways. This act paved the way for the establishment of the National Highways Authority of India in 1988 through the National Highways Authority of India Act. Here's a rundown of the key events in the history of national highways.|
National Highways in India History |
|
| Year | Important Events Related to National Highway in India |
| 1998 | Implemented under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), a significant initiative was undertaken to upgrade highways. This initiative focused on fully paving and expanding highways connecting major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata into four-lane thoroughfares. |
| 2010 | The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways adopted a new systematic numbering system for highways, based on their orientation and geographic location. |
| 2014 | Launched the operational activities of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited. |
| 2018 | The Bharatmala project, a highways initiative sponsored and funded by the Government of India, commenced. |
| 2021-2022 | Phase I of the Bharatmala project involves the construction of 34,800 kilometers of highways. |
National Highways in India List
The table shows a list of roads called national highways in India. It tells us their old and new numbers and also mentions the Indian states or union territories they pass through.| National Highways in India List | |||
| S. No | New Name | Old Name | Description |
| 1 | NH 1 | NH 1A and NH 1D | One of the oldest highways in India, which connects Delhi & Amritsar. |
| 2 | NH 19 | NH 2 – part of Golden Quadrilateral | Connects Palanpur in Gujarat and Panvel in Maharashtra. |
| 3 | NH 244 | NH 1B | Part of the Golden Quadrilateral connects Delhi and Kolkata. |
| 4 | NH 519 | NH 2A | Connects Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh and UP. |
| 5 | NH 114 | NH 2B | Connects the different cities of Moradabad & Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. |
| 6 | NH 60 | NH 3 and NH 50 | Connects Kolkata & Mumbai via Kharagpur, Bhubaneswar, & Vishakhapatnam. |
| 7 | NH 4 | NH 223 | Connects Mumbai and Chennai via Pune and Bangalore. |
| 8 | NH 748 | NH 4A | Connects Belgaum in Karnataka with Goa. |
| 9 | NH 348 | NH 4B | Connects Hospet in Karnataka with Hubli. |
| 10 | NH 16 | NH 5, NH 6, NH 60, and NH 217 – part of Golden Quadrilateral | Part of Golden Quadrilateral which connects Chennai and Kolkata via Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar. |
| 11 | NH 44 | NH 7 | Connects Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir with Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. |
| 12 | NH 138 | NH 7A | Connects Hyderabad with Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. |
| 13 | NH 48 | NH 8 – part of Golden Quadrilateral | Part of the Golden Quadrilateral which connects Delhi and Mumbai via Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Vadodara. |
| 14 | NH 41 | NH 8A | Connects Ahmedabad and Kandla in Gujarat |
| 15 | NH 147 | NH 8C | Connects Ahmedabad with Dholera in Gujarat. |
| 16 | NH 151 | NH 8D | Connects Godhra in Gujarat and Bamanbore in Rajasthan. |
| 17 | NH 65 | NH 9 | Connects Pune in Maharashtra and Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. |
| 18 | NH 21 | NH 11 | Connects Ambala in Haryana with Chandigarh. |
| 19 | NH 148 | NH 11A | Connects Dehradun in Uttarakhand with Chamba in Himachal Pradesh. |
| 20 | NH 45 | NH 12 | Connects Dindigul in Tamil Nadu with Bangalore in Karnataka. |
| 21 | NH 40 | NH 18 and NH 4 | Connects Hyderabad in Telangana with Bangalore in Karnataka. |
| 22 | NH 5 | NH 21, NH 22, and NH 95 | Connects Chennai in Tamil Nadu with Kolkata in West Bengal via Vijayawada and Bhubaneswar. |
| 23 | NH 320 | NH 23 | Connects Barhi in Jharkhand with Hazaribagh in the same state. |
| 24 | NH 530 | NH 24 | Connects Delhi with Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. |
| 25 | NH 319 | NH 30 | Connects Ahmedabad with Dholka in Gujarat. |
| 26 | NH 112 | NH 35 | Connects Kolkata with Dawki in Meghalaya. |
| 27 | NH 129 | NH 39 | Connects Numaligarh in Assam and Dimapur in Nagaland. |
| 28 | NH 544 | NH 47 | Connects Salem in Tamil Nadu with Kanyakumari. |
| 29 | NH 966B | NH 47A | Connects Kundanoor with Willingdon Island in Kochi, Kerala. |
| 30 | NH 966A | NH 47C | Connects Kundanoor with Vyttila Mobility Hub in Kochi, Kerala. |
| 31 | NH 110 | NH 55 | Connects Salem with Karur in Tamil Nadu. |
| 32 | NH 731 | NH 56 | Connects Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh with Ranchi in Jharkhand. |
| 33 | NH 156 | NH 79 | Connects Anand in Gujarat and Udaipur in Rajasthan. |
| 34 | NH 127A | NH 152 | Connects Chandigarh with Manali in Himachal Pradesh. |
| 35 | NH 315 | NH 38 and NH 153 | Connects Jaipur with Kishangarh in Rajasthan. |
National Highways in India Length
These highways stretch across the country, covering a total length of 132,500 kilometers. Among these highways, there's one that stands out as the longest. Exploring and understanding these roads can offer valuable insights into India's extensive transportation system.| National Highways in India Length | |
| State | Length of National Highways in India (KM) |
| Maharashtra | 17756.6 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 11736.8 |
| Rajasthan | 9988.8 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 8772.3 |
| Karnataka | 7334.8 |
| Tami Nadu | 6741.5 |
| Gujarat | 6635 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 6529.5 |
| Odisha | 5761.5 |
| Bihar | 5030.6 |
| Assam | 3908.5 |
| Telangana | 3795.5 |
| Punjab | 3769.5 |
| West Bengal | 3664.5 |
| Chattisgarh | 3605.8 |
| Jharkhand | 3366.8 |
| Haryana | 3097.6 |
| Uttarakhand | 2949.3 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 2606.9 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 2537.4 |
| Kerala | 1781.6 |
| Manipur | 1750.3 |
| Nagaland | 1547.7 |
| Mizoram | 1422.5 |
| Meghalaya | 1155.6 |
| Tripura | 853.8 |
| Sikkim | 463 |
| Goa | 292.9 |
National Highways Authority of India
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is a self-governing organisation tasked with the growth, supervision, and care of India’s main roads. It began its operations in 1988 and functions under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. NHAI’s duties comprises of building new highways, improving and widening existing ones, managing toll collection, and overseeing the safety and effectiveness of the country's highway system.Functions of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited
NHIDCL, the abbreviation for National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, is a government-owned entity supervised by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. It was established to build, maintain, and manage the country's highways and other infrastructure. Specifically, it focuses on areas in the borders and high-altitude regions. The NHIDCL is dedicated to improving transportation links in areas near international borders. It's responsible for handling the national highways in challenging terrains like the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Ladakh, the North-Eastern parts of India, and Uttarakhand. Additionally, NHIDCL is involved in constructing essential logistic hubs such as container depots, bus stations, and multi-level parking spaces for cars, using advanced technology.Longest National Highway in India
The highways in India are like a big web of roads. They belong to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Groups like the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), and the public works departments (PWD) of state governments build and take care of them. They link up all the important cities in India, from the north to the south and from the east to the west. India also has something called the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ). It's a special set of highways that join up the major places for business, farming, and culture in India. The GQ looks like a big square connecting four of India's main cities: Delhi in the north, Kolkata in the east, Mumbai in the west, and Chennai in the south."National Highways in India Important Facts
- The Golden Quadrilateral is like a big road that links Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai. These are the main cities in India, and this road connects them from different sides.
- India has a huge network of roads. About 40% of this network is made up of national highways.
- The Leh-Manali highway is a special road. It goes from Shimla to Leh in Ladakh. It's one of the highest roads in the world that cars can use.
- NH 48, which used to be called NH8, is the longest national highway in a single state in India. It goes through the entire length of Gujarat, from the border with Rajasthan to the border with Maharashtra.
- There are really long roads in India called corridors. The North-South Corridor, made of highways like NH 7, NH 44, and NH 16, stretches over 4,000 kilometers. It goes from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
- Another long corridor is the East-West Corridor. It's about 3,700 kilometers long and goes from Porbandar in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam. It's made up of highways like NH 27, NH 30, NH 31, NH 31C, NH 12, and NH 16.
- NH 52 is a special highway because it passes through places with a lot of wildlife, like the Nokrek National Park. It goes through states like Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizoram.
- The longest tunnel for cars in India is the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel. It's about 9.2 kilometers long and can be found on NH 44 in Jammu and Kashmir.
- The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is like a bridge that you have to pay to use. It connects Bandra in Mumbai to Worli across Mahim Bay. This bridge is part of NH 48.
- NH 66 is a highway that goes along the west coast of India. It starts in Panvel in Maharashtra and goes all the way to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. It used to be called NH 17 and is special because it goes through four states: Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala.
| Other Related Links | |
| Tiger Reserves in India | National Parks in India |
| Biosphere Reserves in India | Elephant Reserves in India |
National Highways in India FAQs
Q1. Which is the longest NH in India?
Ans. NH 44 (formerly NH 7) is the longest national highway in India.
Q2. Which is the longest-running means of our national highway in India?
Ans. The longest-running major national highway in India is NH 44 which was previously NH7, which starts from Srinagar and terminates in Kanyakumari.
Q3. What are the different types of roads in India?
Ans. The different types of road networks in India are expressways, National highways, state highways, and others and rural roads.
Q4. Who is responsible for building and maintaining highways in India?
Ans. The national highway Authority of India is responsible for building and maintaining the highways in India. The national highway authority of India works under the ministry of road transport and Highway.
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