National Highways (NH) is one of the significant sources of inter-state movements and transportation of passengers and goods. National and state capitals, major ports, rail junctions are all connected by the National Highways. The total length of National Highways as of March 2019, is 132499 Kms. Constituting only 2 percent of the road network, National Highways carry about 40 percent traffic. The article will provide you with a list of major national highways in India as it will help aspirants for the IAS Exam (Prelims, Mains.)
List of National Highways in India:- Download PDF Here
List of Important National Highways in India
The list of major highways in India with their routes is given below:
| Highway | Route |
| NH 1 | Delhi-Ambala-Jalandhar-Amritsar-Indo-Pak Border |
| NH 1A | Jalandhar-Madhopur-Jammu-Banihal-Srinagar-Baramula-Uri |
| NH 1B | Batote-Doda-Kishtwar-Sinthan pass – Khanabal |
| NH 1C | Domel to Katra |
| NH 1D | Srinagar-Kargil-Leh |
| NH 2 | Delhi-Mathura-Agra-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi-Mohania-Barhi Palsit-Baidyabati-Bara-Calcutta |
| NH 2A | Sikandra to Bhognipur |
| NH 2B | Burdwan – Bolpur road (via Talit, Guskara, and Bhedia) |
| NH 3 | Agra-Gwalior-Shivpuri-Indore-Dhule-Nasik-Thane-Mumbai |
| NH 4 | Junction with National Highways No. 3 near Thane-Pune Belgaum-Hubli-Bangalore-Ranipet-Chennai |
| NH 4A | Belgaum-Anmod-Ponda-Panaji |
| NH 4B | Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust near Km 109-Palaspe |
| NH 5 | Junction with National Highways No. 6 near Baharagora-Cuttack Bhubaneshwar-Visakhapatnam -Vijayawada-Chennai |
| NH 5A | Junction with National Highway No. 5 near Haridaspur-Paradip Port |
| NH 6 | Hajira-Dhule-Nagpur-Raipur-Sambalpur-Baharagora-Calcutta |
| NH 7 | Varanasi-Mangawan-Rewa-Jabalpur-Lakhnadon-Nagpur-Hyderabad-Kurnool-Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Salem-Dindigul-Madurai-Cape-Kanyakumari |
| NH 7A | Palayamkottai-Tuticorin Port |
| NH 8 | Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Udaipur-Ahmedabad-Vadodara-Mumbai |
| NH 8A | Ahmedabad-Limbdi-Morvi-Kandla-Mandvi-Vikhari-Kothra-Naliya Narayan Sarovar |
| NH 8B | Bamanbore-Rajkot-Porbandar |
| NH 8C | Chiloda to Sarkhej |
| NH 8D | Chiloda-Gandhinagar-Sarkhej |
| NH 8E | Somnath to Bhavnagar |
| NH 9 | Pune-Sholapur-Hyderabad-Vijayawada-Machilipatnam |
| NH 10 | Delhi-Fazilka-Indo Pak Border |
| NH 11 | Agra-Jaipur-Bikaner |
| NH 11A | Manoharpur-Dausa-Lalsot-Kothum |
| NH 12 | Jabalpur-Bhopal-Khilchipur-Aklera-Jhalawar-Kota-Bundi-Deoli Tonk-Jaipur |
| NH 18 | Junction with NH 7 near Kurnool and Nandyal to Cuddapah and Junction with NH 4 near Chittoor |
| NH 19 | Ghazipur-Balia-Patna |
| NH 20 | Pathankot -Mandi |
| NH 21 | Junction with National Highway No. 22 near Chandigarh-Ropar-Bilaspur-Mandi-Kullu-Manali |
| NH 22 | Ambala to Indo China Border near Shipkila |
| NH 23 | Chas-Ranchi-Rourkela-Talcher- Junction with National Highway No. 42 |
| NH 24 | Delhi- Bareilly-Lucknow |
| NH 27 | Allahabad to Mangawan |
| NH 29 | Gorakhpur to Varanasi |
| NH 30 | Junction with NH 2 near Mohania and Patna to Bakhtiyarpur |
| NH 35 | Barasat to Petrapole on India and Bangladesh border |
| NH 39 | Numaligarh to Palel and Indo Burma Border |
| NH 47 | Salem to Kanyakumari |
| NH 47A | Junction with NH 47 at Kundanoor to Willington Island in Kochi |
| NH 47C | Junction with NH 47 at Kalamassery to Vallarpadam ICTT in Kochi |
| NH 55 | Siliguri to Darjeeling |
| NH 56 | Lucknow to Varanasi |
| NH 58 | Delhi to Mana Pass |
| NH 79 | Ajmer-Nasirabad-MP border |
| NH 151 | Karimganj – Bangladesh Border |
| NH 152 | Patacharkuchi-Bhutan border |
| NH 153 | Ledo – Lekhapani – Indo / Myanmar – Border |
| NH 233 | The highway starting from India/Nepal border (connecting to Lumbini) via Naugarh, Siddharthnagar, Bansi, Basti, Tanda, Azamgarh and terminating at Varans |
Facts about National Highways in India
There are a few important facts about National Highways of India which are important for UPSC:
- National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is an autonomous authority to develop, maintain, and manage the National Highways of India.
- Central Government has the power to notify any highway as the National Highway and such highway will be specified in the Schedule.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is responsible for the development of National Highways.
- The government launched the Bharatmala Project for the development of about 26,000 km length of Economic Corridors, which along with Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) and North-South and East-West (NS-EW) Corridors are expected to carry the majority of the Freight Traffic on roads.
- NH 44 is the longest national highway in India, running over 3745 Km from Srinagar to Kanyakumari.
- NH44 which is the longest highway in India was previously known as NH 7
- NH 47A is the shortest highway of India, having a length of 6 Kms.
- There are 228 National Highways in India.
List of National Highways in India PDF (Updated):-Download PDF Here
Transportation is an essential part of Indian geography. There are three types of transportation. They are road, water, and air transportation. The road network in India is considered as one of the largest road networks in the world. The aggregate length of the streets is more than 33 lakh km. The roads in the countries are categorized into Border Roads, National Highways, State Highways, District Highways, Village Roads, etc. The international roads, Border road, and the National highways are maintained by the Central Government, where the State highways maintained by the respective state government. The District highways are looking after by District Board.
The List of Major National Highways is an important static GK topic. For more static GK topics check the linked page.
List of National Highways in India – Download PDF Here
Candidates reading ‘National Highways,’ can also read the following related topics:
| Types of Roads in India | National Waterways in India | National Emblem of India |
| Jal Marg Vikas Project | List of Major Ports in India | National Anthem |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many National Highways are there in India?
There are more than 200 National Highways in India. The routes usually range from North-South & East-West.
What is the longest National Highway in India?
The longest National Highway in India is NH-44. It covers the range from Srinagar to Kanyakumari(North-South Corridor) with a length of approximately 3700km.
What is the first National Highway in India?
The first National Highway in India is NH-1. It links the National capital Delhi to Attari in Punjab near Indo-Pak Border.
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