General
What Are the Top 10 Longest National Highways in India?
National highways are arterial roads that connect northern, southern, western and eastern parts of India. The Indian Highway Network is a web of wide highways that connects multiple cities, towns, districts and villages.
Highways play a significant role in the development of a country's infrastructure. It links all the important agricultural, industrial and cultural centres of India. To get a better ideal regarding the longest national highway in India and other highways, refer to the mentioned sections.
Which Is the Longest National Highway in India?
The longest NH in India is NH 44, previously known as NH 7. The highway holds a distance of 3,745 km and runs from North to South corridor. It stretches from Srinagar in the North to Kanyakumari in the South. It is a major north-south National Highway that passes through the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the states of Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh.
The route for the longest national highway of India was formed by merging seven notable national highways of old number, including NH 1A, NH 1, NH 2, NH 3, NH 75, NH 26 and NH 7.
List of the 10 Longest National Highways in India
India houses more than 200 national highways. Given below is the list of the top 10 National highways in India, their respective routes and the distance they cover.
|
National Highways |
Route |
Length of National Highways (Kms) |
|
NH 44 ( old NH 7) |
Srinagar to Kanyakumari |
3,745 |
|
NH 27 |
Porbandar in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam |
3,507 |
|
NH 48 (Previous name NH 8) |
Delhi to Chennai |
2,807 |
|
NH 52 |
Sangrur, Punjab to Ankola, Karnataka |
2,317 |
|
NH 30 (Previous name NH 221) |
Sitarganj in Uttarakhand to Ibrahimpatnam in Andhra Pradesh |
2,040 |
|
NH 6 |
Jorabat in Meghalaya to Selling in Mizoram |
1873 |
|
NH 53 |
Hajira in Gujarat to Pradip port in Odisha |
1781 |
|
NH 16 (previous name NH 5) |
East coast of West Bengal to Chennai in Tamil Nadu |
1,711 |
|
NH 66 (Previous name NH 17) |
Panvel to Kanyakumari |
1,622 |
|
NH 19 (Previous name NH 20) |
Delhi to Kolkata |
1,435 |
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), NHIDCL (National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited) and the PWD (Public Works Department) are in charge of upgrading and maintaining the highways. The Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) exists in India, a national highway network that connects India’s four major cities: Delhi in North, Kolkata in East, Mumbai in West and Chennai in South. This highway system links India’s predominant economic, agricultural and cultural pivots.
Moreover, the highways are numbered per the systematic numbering adopted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in April 2010. Here, a highway is named on basis of its orientation and geographic location. In the new system, even the direction of the National highways is integrated.
National highways help access international markets through better transportation routes, reducing transportation costs. The highways lead to an efficient transportation system that translates into lower transportation costs.
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What Are the Few Facts About the Longest Highway?
Here are some noteworthy facts about India’s about India’s highways:
- After the USA, India’s road and highway network is the second-largest worldwide.
- There are over 200 national highways in India, which adds up to a total length of 101, 011 km. The cumulative length of Indian state highways is 1, 31,899 km.
- The Indian National Highways constitute 2.04% of the country’s cumulative road network. Nevertheless, they carried 40% of the nation's road traffic.
- The main highways are marked with a two-digit number. On the other hand, a three-digit number is used to mark branches of the main highways.
- There is also a national highway system of colours. Yellow and white colour is used on road sign boards for national highways. Green and white is used to denote state highways. City highways are designated by colours black and white. This milestone does not reflect the number of miles one has covered, but also helps one distinguish between a city highway and state highway.
- NH 118 and NH 548 are the shortest national highways. While NH 548 runs through the state of Maharashtra. NH 118 connects Asanbani and Jamshedpur in the state of Jharkhand.
Tips to Ensure Smooth Travel on the National Highways
Tips to Ensure Smooth Travel on the National Highways
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is the backbone of India's extensive road network, ensuring smooth and efficient travel across the nation. The long highways stretching from Srinagar to Kanyakumari are pivotal in making road trips faster and more enjoyable.
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Compulsory Insurance: When driving on the National Highways of India, ensure you have motor insurance, whether for your bike, car or commercial vehicle.
Vehicle Types: There are specific vehicle restrictions on various highways in India. Certain vehicles, such as two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and specific types of trailers, may be prohibited from using expressways to ensure safety and efficiency.
Tolls and Payments: Ensure your FASTag is charged and ready before you hit the road, as FASTag is the preferred payment method. If you do not recharge or pay via cash, there is a risk that your vehicle might get blacklisted.
Overloading the Vehicle: Ensure that you do not accommodate more passengers than the specified number or overload your good carrier with an excessive load, as your commercial vehicle insurance claim may be rejected in the event of an accident.
Follow Speed Limits & Lane Discipline: While travelling on national highways, always ensure you follow the speed limits specific to the area and maintain lane discipline, as this helps avoid fines and reduces the risk of accidents.