National Highway in India extends up to 300,000 km. In India, the word ''Highway'' refers to numerous "National Highways" and "State Highways" that comprises mostly of two-lane paved roads, converting them into higher lanes mostly around cities.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways own network of roads i.e. National Highways. The construction, development, maintenance are done by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), and the Public Works Departments (PWD) of state governments. Total of 142,126 km (88,313 mi) of NH India has as of April 2019. National Highways of India connects every significant city from North to South to East to West.
National Highways in India are termed as NH which is followed by the number for example NH-3. The major cities of India - Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi , Ahmedabad, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, - are connected by the Golden Quadrilateral or East-West and North-South Corridor, that consists of 4 to 6 laned roads. National Highways connects other major and significant cities.
'Expressways' are separate from the National Highway network but there is exception of Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, which is part of National Highway 8. The longest expressway is Agra- Lucknow Expressway, after the inauguration of Agra- Lucknow Expressway of 300 km on 21 November 2016 replaces Yamuna Expressway of 165 km.
NHAI (National Highway Authority of India) is the agency which is responsible for the implementation of NHDP. National Highway Authority of India is a nodal agency which is governed by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India.
New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata are the four metropolitan cities of India are aimed by "Golden quadrilateral project" so as to improve there road connectivity and other major towns like Ahmedabad, Surat, , Pune, Bengaluru and Vishakhapatnam are supposed to be the part of these National Highways in India.
Silchar in east to Porbandar in West forms East-West corridor. Similarly, Srinagar in north to Kanyakumari in south forms North-South corridor. In April 2010, The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways adopted a new systematic numbering of National Highways of India .
National Highways in India are described below-
In today's scenario, National Highways in India has become the essential part of the road network as National Highways connect the western , eastern, northern and southern parts of India to one another. All this is possible because of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) which takes care of India's road network from its development, construction and maintenance. In the development of the infrastructure of a country National Highways play a very significant role.
Important Facts OF National Highways In India
Some of the important facts regarding the
National Highways:
• The Longest National Highway of India is NH44 in India.
• The National Highways that run along the Eastern and the Western coast are NH5 and NH17 respectively.
• National Highway that represents the border road in Rajasthan desert is NH15.
• NH47A is the shortest highway in the India highway network.
• NH44 is the Longest National highway of India which starts from Srinagar and ends in Kanyakumari.
• By merging seven major national highways which includes NH 1A, NH 1, NH 2, NH 3, NH 75, NH 26 and NH 7 National Highway 44 has become longest NH.
• NH19 (1435 km) is the busiest National Highways in India which runs through the major cities of India i.e Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Barhi,Asansol and Kolkata. It was part of the Golden Quadrilateral and also covers historical Grand Trunk Road.
• National Highway 66 (NH 66) that runs parallel to the Western Ghats of India was previously known as NH 17.
• Second longest National Highway is NH27 (3,507 km long) which is a part of North South and East West Corridor of India, it starts from Porbandar and ends in Silchar.
• Jhansi is considered as the junction of North South and East West Corridor.
• NH47-A is the shortest national highway in India, it has a length of 6km in total. Its primary destinations are from kochi to willingdon island.
Top 10 Longest National Highways of India-
1. National Highway 44 (earlier known as NH 7)
Length- 3745 Km
States connected are-J&K, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP , MP , Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
2. National Highway 27
Length- 3507 Km
States connected are-Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam.
3. National Highway 48 ( earlier known as NH 4 and NH 8)
Length- 2807 Km
States connected are- Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu
4. National Highway 52
Length- 2317 Km
States connected are- Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka .
5. National Highway 30 (earlier known as NH 221)
Length- 2040 Km
States connected are- Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
6. National Highway 6
Length- 1873 Km
States connected are-Meghalaya, Assam, and Mizoram.
7. National Highway 53
Length- 1781 Km
States connected are- Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
8. National Highway 16(earlier known as NH 5)
Length- 1711 Km
States connected are- West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
9. National Highway 66 (earlier known as NH 17)
Length- 1622 Km
States connected are- Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
10. National Highway 19 (earlier known as NH 2)
Length- 1435 Km
States connected are - Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal.
QUESTIONS ASKED ON National Highways in India
Q1. Which National Highway is the longest National Highway of India?
Answer- National Highway 44 ( NH 44) is known as the Longest National Highway of India.
Q2. National Highway 44 was earlier known as?
Answer- NH7
Q3. What does Yellow and white color in National Highway symbolize?
Answer- It is for National Highway
Explanation-
• Yellow and white color symbolizes National Highways.
• Green and white color symbolizes State Highways.
• Black and white color symbolizes City Highways.
Q4. What does Orange and white color in National Highway symbolizes? Answer- It symbolizes Highway under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
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