The Network of National Highways in India

"National Highways" in India is the class of roads maintained by the Central Government and is the main long-distance roadways. The National Highways, the majority 2 laned (one in each direction), constitute a total of about 58,000 km, of which 4,885 km are central-separated expressways. Highways in India are around 2% of the total road network in India, but carries nearly 40 % of the total road traffic. The recently passed National Highways (Amendment) Bill, 1995, provides for private investment in the building and maintenance of these arteries of India. In the recent past, a number of new roads have been classified as NH's in a move to provide national connectivity to even remote places. In the recent past, a number of bypasses have been constructed for big and small towns and cities to provide uninterrupted passage for highway traffic. The varied climatic, demographic and traffic situation prevents these highways from having a uniform character. These may be six laned in some parts, to even non-metalled stretches in remote places. Many NH's are still under upgradation or even construction. There are long NH's to connect the metros together, as well as short shoots off the highway to give connectivity to the nearby ports or harbours. The longest NH is the NH7 which goes all the way from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Kanyakumari at the southern most point of the Indian mainland, in Tamil Nadu covering a distance of 2369 km, and passing through the metros like Jabalpur, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Bangalore. The shortest NH is the NH47A, which is a 6 km stretch to the Ernakulam - Kochi Port. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x1138, 145 KB) // Summary National Highway Network map of India Author w:user:planemad Comments and Suggestions Please leave your suggestions or errors noted in the map here. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x1138, 145 KB) // Summary National Highway Network map of India Author w:user:planemad Comments and Suggestions Please leave your suggestions or errors noted in the map here. ... An expressway is a divided highway, usually 4 lanes or wider in size, where direct access to adjacent properties has been eliminated. ... VārāṇasÄ«   (DevanāgarÄ«: वाराणसी, IPA: ), also known as Benares, Banaras, or Benaras (बनारस, UrdÅ«: بنارس, ; IPA: ), or Kashi or Kasi (काशी ), is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: , Urdu: اتر پردیش, IPA: ), also popularly known by its abbreviation U.P., is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Union of India. ... The Tiruvalluvar statue The Vivekananda memorial The Gandhi Mandepam Kanyakumari is a town and a cape at the southernmost tip of the Indian peninsula. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Jabalpur is a city in the Madhya Pradesh state of India. ... Concern has been expressed that this article or section is missing information about: Localities in the city (See discussion page). ... Hyderabad or Haydarābād (Telugu: హైదరాబాదు Urdu: حیدر آباد ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. ... Bangalore (Kannada: ; in Kannada and // in English) is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. ... The skyline of Ernakaulam Ernakulam (Malayalam : എറണാകുളം ) refers to the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. ... Kochi (Malayalam: കൊച്ചി []), formerly known as Cochin, is the largest city in the state of Kerala, India, and one of the principal seaports in the country. ...

The 95 km long Mumbai-Pune Expressway

India has a vast network of National Highways. India's highways connect all the major cities and state capitals. Most highways are 2 laned. In some more developed areas it may broaden to 4 lanes. Closer to big cities, highways can even be of 8 lanes. India has the distinction of having the world’s highest motorable highway connecting Shimla to Leh in Ladakh, Kashmir. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (730x1024, 207 KB) A view of the Mumbai-Pune expressway from Lonavla. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (730x1024, 207 KB) A view of the Mumbai-Pune expressway from Lonavla. ... The Mumbai-Pune Expressway as seen from Khandala The Mumbai-Pune Expressway connects the two main cities of Maharastra. ... Shimla (Hindi: शिमला, Urdu: شملہ), the summer capital of the erstwhile British Raj in India, is a city and a municipal corporation in Shimla district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. ... View of Leh from Namgyal hill Leh Bazaar prior to 1871 Leh is the capital of the former Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh, which is now a district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. ... Tikse monastery, Ladakh Ladakh is the largest district of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, covering more than half the area of the state (of which it is the eastern part). ... For the dispute concerning this region, see Kashmir conflict Shown in green is the region under Pakistani administration. ...

All the highways are metalled. In most developed states the roads are devoid of potholes, however in less developed states and in sparsely populated areas, highways are riddled with potholes. Very few of India's highways are concretised, the most notable being the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway as seen from Khandala The Mumbai-Pune Expressway connects the two main cities of Maharastra. ...

Highways form the economic backbone of the country. Highways have facilitated development along the route and many towns have sprung up along major highways. Highways are dotted with local restaurants or inns popularly known as Dhabas. They are known to serve delicious local cuisine and also serve as trucker stops. In India, Highways are dotted with local restaurants popularly known as Dhabas (singular: Dhaba). ...

Under the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, India launched a massive upgradation of highways called the Golden Quadrilateral Project where the main north-south and east-west connecting corridors between the 4 metropolitan cities were concretised into 4 lane highways. Work is scheduled to be completed in December 2006. The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the government of India. ... Atal Bihari Vajpayee (often wrongly spelt Behari; अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी in Devnagari) (born December 25, 1924) was the Prime Minister of India in 1996 and again from 1998 until May 19, 2004. ... Map showing the Golden Quadrilateral and other National Highways The Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) is the largest expressway project in India. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The golden Quadrilateral boasts of some breathtaking spots and some amazing flyovers.

Some of the Busy National Highway sectors in India have been converted to 6 or 4 lane Expressways. For example, Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Jaipur, Ahmedabad-Vadodara, Mumbai-Pune, Mumbai-Surat, Bangalore-Mysore, Bangalore-Chennai and Chennai-Tada. There is a bigger plan (NHDP Phase V) to convert all of the Golden Quadrilateral Highways (6000 km) to 6 lane Highways/Expressways) by 2012. The National Highways Development Project is a project to upgrade major roads in India to a higher standard. ... Map showing the Golden Quadrilateral and other National Highways The Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) is the largest expressway project in India. ...

Express Highways

Mumbai-Pune Expressway connects the commercial and cultural capitals of India. It looks like a well oiled, well behaved and controlled system where right from a haystack carrying truck to a sparkling mercedes follow the same rules and regulations. There is a feeling of oneness. Unity in Diversity. It completely lacks the indian road chaos. It is another landmark of modern India. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway as seen from Khandala The Mumbai-Pune Expressway connects the two main cities of Maharastra. ...

"Highway Features"

• Six lane concrete highway divided in center by a 7m-wide divider. An extra lane provided on each side as a hard shoulder.
• The Mumbai Pune expressway should cut down travel time between Mumbai and Pune less than 2 hours
• Separate tunnels for traffic in each direction.
• Complete fencing to avoid humans/animals crossing the expressway.
• No two wheelers, three wheelers and tractor vehicles allowed.
• Provision of Petrol pumps, Motels, Workshops, Toilets, Emergency Phones, First aid and Breakdown Vans etc.
• Proposed planting of 80,000 trees along mumbai pune expressway.

Shimla-Chandigarh Expressway Himachal Pradesh Government proposes to combine its ambitious Shimla-Chandigarh Express Highway project with the scheme for the four-laning of the highway prepared by the National Highway Authority of India in order to bring down cost and to avoid duplicity.

Delhi Expressway Haryana Government also has started the work of acquiring land for the proposed expressway even though it is yet a to find a partner for executing the project.

REFFERENCES:-

• http://www.amitkulkarni.info/pics/expressway/
• http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050719/himachal.htm

Historical development

Evolution of Indian road network. The main map shows the routes since the Mughal times, Inset A shows the major cultural currents of the prehistorical period, B shows pre-Mauryan Indian routes, C shows the Mauryan network, D shows the trade routes at the beginning of the Christian era, and E shows the Indian "Z".

In ancient times the ruling monarchs had established brick laden roads in their cities. The most famous highway of medieval India was the Grand Trunk Road. The Grand Trunk Road begins in Sonargaon near Dhaka,Bangladesh and ends in Peshawar, Pakistan. It travels through important Indian cities en route such as Patna, Varanasi, Kanpur, Agra, Delhi, Panipat, Pipli, Ambala, Rajpura, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar . In the 19th century, the British upgraded the highway network along with building roads in treacherous terrains such as the Western Ghats. Image File history File links Roadevol. ... Image File history File links Roadevol. ... Chandragupta Maurya (ruled 322–298 BC), known to the Greeks as Sandracottus, was the first emperor of the Mauryan empire. ... A view of the Grand Trunk Road. ... Sonargaon is the ancient capital of Isa Khans kingdom in Bengal. ... Dhaka (previously Dacca; Bangla: ঢাকা Ḍhākā), population 12,560,000[1] (2005 UN projection for statistical metropolitan area), is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. ... Peshāwar (Pashto: پښور; Urdu:پشاور) literally means City on the Frontier in Persian and is known as Pai-khawar in Pashto. ... Patna is the capital of the state of Bihar, in north-eastern India. ... VārāṇasÄ«   (DevanāgarÄ«: वाराणसी, IPA: ), also known as Benares, Banaras, or Benaras (बनारस, UrdÅ«: بنارس, ; IPA: ), or Kashi or Kasi (काशी ), is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... Kānpur, (Hindi: कानपुर, Urdu: کانپُر) known as Cawnpore before 1948, is one of the most populous cities in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article is about the metropolis of Delhi. ... Panipat is a historic as well as an ancient city in the Panipat District in Haryana state, India, The city has a population of 216,000. ... Ambala is a city located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. ... Rajpura is a city and a municipal council in Patiala district in the Indian state of Punjab. ... Ludhiana (Punjabi: ) in India is the largest city in Punjab. ... Jalandhar (Punjabi: ) is an ancient city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. ... Amritsar (Punjabi: ), meaning Pool of the Nectar of Immortality, is the administrative headquarter of the Amritsar District in Punjab, India. ... The Agasthiyamalai range of the Western Ghats The Western Ghats are a mountain range in India. ...

See also

• List of National Highways in India
• National Highways Development Project
• Highways
• Border Roads Organisation
• National Highways Authority of India

The Network of National Highways in India The list of National Highways in India gives a regionwise listing of the Indian Highways, a class of roads maintained by the National Highways Authority of India. ... National Highways account for only about 2 per cent of the total length of roads, but carry about 40 per cent of the total traffic across the length and breadth of the country. ... A highway is a major road within a city, or linking several cities together. ... The Border Roads Organisation, also known by its acronym BRO, is run by the Indian army to maintain roads that serve the borders areas. ... The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is the national authority for the management of a network of over 6,000 km of National Highways in India[1]. The Authority is a part of the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways. ...

External links

• National Highway Authority of India
• NH in Kerala
• Highway Photographs
• Driving Directions for most NHs