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.
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.
FAQs About Longest National Highways in India
Which cities does NH 44 connect?
National Highway 44 (NH 44), previously known as NH 7, connects several cities and towns, such as Srinagar, Anantnag, Pathankot, Ludhiana, Jammu, Karnal, Delhi, Faridabad, Hyderabad, etc.
Is the world’s second highest altitude motor highway located in India?
Yes, the world’s second highest motor highway, the Leh-Manali Highway is located in India. It connects Shimla in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir.
Which is the second largest National Highway in India?
National Highway 27 (NH 27) is the second long NH in India. It is an East-West National highway in India that passes through the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, etc.
Which is the oldest National Highway in India?
The Grand Trunk Road is the oldest National Highway in India. It is perhaps one of the oldest road routes in Asia. It has connected Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent.
Which state in India has the longest network of National Highways in India?
Uttar Pradesh has the longest network of National Highways in India; the cumulative length of which accounts to 7863 km.