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{{Short description|Network of highways owned by the Government of India}}
{{About|national highways|expressways|Expressways in India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox highway system
}}
[[File:Renumbered National Highways map of India (Schematic).jpg|thumb|Renumbered National Highways map of India (Schematic)|300px]]

The '''National highways''' in [[India]] are a network of [[trunk road]]s owned by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. It is constructed and managed by the [[Central Public Works Department]] (CPWD), the [[National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited]] (NHIDCL), and the [[public works department]]s (PWD) of state governments. Currently, the longest National Highway in India is [[National Highway 44 (India)|National Highway 44]] at 3,508 km (2,180 mi).

The [[National Highways Authority of India]] (NHAI) and the [[National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited]] (NHIDCL) are the nodal agencies responsible for building, upgrading, and maintaining most of the National Highways network. It operates under the [[Ministry of Road Transport and Highways]]. The [[National Highways Development Project]] (NHDP) is a major effort to expand and upgrade the network of highways. NHAI often uses a [[public–private partnership]] model for highway maintenance, and toll-collection. NHIDCL uses Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) model to build, develop and maintain strategic roads in International borders of the country.

In India, National Highways are [[Intersection (road)|at-grade roads]], whereas Expressways are [[controlled-access highway]]s where entrance and exit is controlled by the use [[Interchange (road)|ramps]] that are incorporated into the [[Controlled-access highway#Design|design of the expressway]].

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==Characteristics ==
[[File:Jammu Srinagar Highway.jpg|thumb|Entrance of [[National Highway 44 (India)|National Highway 44]], the longest National Highway in India in [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]].]]
[[File:DelhiFlyover EDITED.jpg|thumb|A [[dual carriageway]] section of [[National Highway 48 (India)|NH 48]] connecting [[Delhi]] to [[Gurgaon]]]][[File:Gujarat India 4 lane highway NH 27 in Saurashtra region.jpg|thumb|[[National Highway 27 (India)|National Highway 27]] in [[Gujarat]].]]India has {{convert|151019|km|mi|abbr=on}} of National Highways as of March 2021.<ref>[https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/highways-construction-touches-record-37-km-per-day-gadkari/article34221788.ece NATIONALHighways construction touches record 37 km per day: Gadkari] ''The Hindu''. Retrieved 29 August 2021</ref>

National Highways constituted 2.7% of India's total road network, but carried about 40% of road traffic, as of 2013.<ref name="indiatimes1">{{cite news |title=NDA regime constructed 50% of national highways laid in last 30 years: Centre |first=Dhananjay |last=Mahapatra |url= http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NDA-regime-constructed-50-of-national-highways-laid-in-last-30-years-Centre/articleshow/20869113.cms |newspaper=The Times of India |date=2 July 2013 |access-date= 18 April 2015}}</ref> In 2016, the government vowed to double the highway length from 96,000 to 200,000 km.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/national-highways-road-length-to-be-increased-from-96000-km-to-200000-km-nitin-gadkari/477303/|title=National Highways road length to be increased from 96,000 km to 2,000,000 km: Nitin Gadkari|date=17 December 2016|work=The Financial Express|access-date=27 June 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>

The majority of existing highways are now four-lane roads (two lanes in each direction), though much of this is being expanded to six or more lanes. Some sections of the network are [[toll road]]s. Only a few highways are built with concrete. [[Bypass (road)|Bypasses]] have been constructed around larger towns and cities to provide uninterrupted passage for highway traffic. Some existing roads have been reclassified as National Highways.

== History ==

The [[National Highways Act, 1956]]<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.vakilno1.com/bareacts/Laws/The-National-Highways-Act-1956.htm | title = The National Highways Act, 1956 | access-date = 2 December 2012 | archive-date = 14 February 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120214191232/http://www.vakilno1.com/bareacts/Laws/The-National-Highways-Act-1956.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref> provided for public i.e. state investment in the building and maintenance of the highways.

The [[National Highways Authority of India]] was established by the [[National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988]]. Section 16(1) of the Act states that the function of NHAI is to develop, maintain, and manage the National Highways and any other highways vested in, or entrusted to, it by the Government of India.

In 1998 India launched a massive program of highway upgrades, called the [[National Highways Development Project]] (NHDP), in which the main north–south and east–west corridors and highways connecting the four metropolitan cities ([[Delhi]], [[Mumbai]], [[Chennai]] and [[Kolkata]]) have been fully paved and widened into four-lane highways. Some of the busier National Highway sectors in India were also converted to four- or six-lane limited-access highways.

[[National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited]] started functioning w.e.f. 18 July 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.morth.nic.in/nhidcl| title= NHIDCL Ministry of RT&H}}</ref> It is a fully owned company of [[Government of India]] under [[Ministry of Road Transport and Highways]] and was created to develop, maintain and manage the national highways, strategic roads and other infrastructure of India. It was dedicated to the task of promoting regional connectivity in parts of the country which share international boundaries. It is responsible for the development, maintenance and management of National Highways in hilly terrain of North-East part of India, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Uttarakhand. It works as a specialised agency in high altitude areas and border areas. Apart from highways, NHIDCL is constructing logictic hubs and transport related infrastructure e.g. multimodal transport hubs such as bus ports, container depots, automated multilevel car parking etc.

The [[Ministry of Road Transport and Highways]] adopted a new systematic numbering of National Highways in April 2010.<ref name="renumber1">{{cite web|url=http://dorth.gov.in/writereaddata/linkimages/9-6774713323.pdf|title=Rationalisation of Numbering Systems of National Highways|publisher=[[Department of Road Transport and Highways]]|access-date=2 September 2012|location=New Delhi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816023220/http://dorth.gov.in/writereaddata/linkimages/9-6774713323.pdf|archive-date=16 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is a systematic numbering scheme based on the orientation and the geographic location of the highway. The new system indicates the direction of National Highways whether they are east–west (odd numbers) or north–south (even numbers). It also indicates the geographical region where they are with even numbers increasing from east to west starting from NH2 and odd numbers increasing from north to south starting from NH1.<ref name="indiatimes3">{{cite news |title=New numbers for national highways |url= http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/New-numbers-for-national-highways/articleshow/10438355.cms |newspaper=The Times of India |date=21 October 2011 |access-date=18 April 2015}}</ref>

[[Bharatmala]], a centrally-sponsored and funded road and highways project of the [[Government of India]]<ref name="Ecotimes">{{citation|title=Bharat Mala: PM Narendra Modi's planned Rs 14,000 crore road from Gujarat to Mizoram|date=29 April 2015|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-04-29/news/61652753_1_crore-road-road-connectivity-road-network|work=[[The Economic Times]]|location=[[New Delhi]]}}</ref> with a target of constructing {{cvt|83677|km|mi}}<ref name="new1">{{citation|title=Ministry proposes construction of 20,000 km of roads under Bharat Mala project|date=9 January 2016|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2016-01-09/news/69634613_1_draft-cabinet-note-finance-ministry-roads-ministry|work=[[The Economic Times]]|location=[[New Delhi]]}}</ref> of new highways, has been started in 2018. Phase I of the Bharatmala project involves the construction of 34,800 km of highways (including the remaining projects under NHDP) at an estimated cost of {{INRConvert|5.35|lc|lk=lc}} by 2021-22.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.india.gov.in/spotlight/bharatmala-pariyojana-stepping-stone-towards-new-india|title=Bharatmala Pariyojana - A Stepping Stone towards New India {{!}} National Portal of India|website=www.india.gov.in|language=en|access-date=2018-01-18}}</ref>

==Network Length==

{{Bar chart
| title = Total Length of National Highways in India in (KM) <ref>https://morth.nic.in/sites/default/files/Annual%20Report%20-%202021%20(English)_compressed.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>
| bar_width = 20
| float = right
| width_units = em
| label_type = [[Year]]
| label1 = 2020 - 2021
| label2 = 2019 - 2020
| label3 = 2018 - 2019
| label4 = 2017 - 2018
| label5 = 2016 - 2017
| label6 = 2015 - 2016
| label7 = 2014 - 2015
| label8 = 2013 - 2014
| label9 = 2010 - 2013
| label10 = 2001 - 2011
| label11 = 1991 - 2001
| label12 = 1981 - 1991
| label13 = 1971 - 1981
| label14 = 1961 - 1971
| label15 = 1950 - 1961
| data_type = Total Length in (KM)
| data_max = 200,000
| data1 = 151,000
| data2 = 142,995
| data3 = 132,500
| data4 = 126,500
| data5 = 114,158
| data6 = 101,011
| data7 = 97,991
| data8 = 91,287
| data9 = 79,116
| data10 = 70,737
| data11 = 57,737
| data12 = 33,650
| data13 = 31,671
| data14 = 23,838
| data15 = 19,811
}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+National Highways in India, by state and union territories and maintaining agency<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://morth.nic.in/showfile.asp?lid=1624|title=National Highways Summary - Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India|website=morth.nic.in|access-date=21 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhai.org/statewise1.asp|title=Welcome to NHAI|website=www.nhai.org|access-date=21 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215043627/https://www.nhai.org/statewise1.asp|archive-date=15 February 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

|-
!State / Union Territory
!State PWD
!NHAI
!NHIDCL<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 Feb 2017|title=Overview of All NHIDCL Projects|url=http://nhidcl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/All-projects.pdf|access-date=19 Dec 2020|website=nhidcl.com}}</ref>
!Total Length as on 31.03.2019 (km)
|-
| [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]
|
|
| align="right" |87|| align="right"|331
|-
| [[Andhra Pradesh]]
|
|
||| align="right" |6,912
|-
| [[Arunachal Pradesh]]
|
|
| align="right" |1,035|| align="right" |2,537
|-
| [[Assam]]
|
|
| align="right" |1,010|| align="right" |3,909
|-
| [[Bihar]]
|
|
||| align="right" |5,358
|-
| [[Chandigarh]]
|
|
||| align="right" |15
|-
| [[Chhattisgarh]]
|
|
||| align="right" |3,605
|-
| [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli]]
|
|
||| align="right" |31
|-
| [[Daman and Diu]]
|
|
||| align="right" |22
|-
| [[Delhi]]
|
|
||| align="right" |157
|-
| [[Goa]]
|
|
||| align="right" |293
|-
| [[Gujarat]]
|
|
||| align="right" |6,635
|-
| [[Haryana]]
|
|
||| align="right" |3,166
|-
| [[Himachal Pradesh]]
|
|
| align="right" |320|| align="right" |2,607
|-
| [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu & Kashmir]]
|
|
| align="right" |436|| align="right" |2,423
|-
| [[Jharkhand]]
|
|
||| align="right" |3,367
|-
| [[Karnataka]]
|
|
||| align="right" |7,335
|-
| [[Kerala]]
|
|
||| align="right" |1,782
|-
| [[Lakshadweep]]
|
|
||| align="right" |0
|-
| [[Madhya Pradesh]]
|
|
||| align="right" |8,772
|-
| [[Maharashtra]]
|
|
||| align="right" |17,757
|-
| [[Manipur]]
|
|
| align="right" |1,751|| align="right" |1,750
|-
| [[Meghalaya]]
|
|
| align="right" |823|| align="right" |1,156
|-
| [[Mizoram]]
|
|
| align="right" |372|| align="right" |1422.5
|-
| [[Nagaland]]
|
|
| align="right" |324|| align="right" |1,548
|-
| [[Odisha]]
|
|
||| align="right" |5,762
|-
| [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]]
|
|
||| align="right" |27
|-
| [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]
|
|
||| align="right" |3,274
|-
| [[Rajasthan]]
|
|
||| align="right" |10,342
|-
| [[Sikkim]]
|
|
| align="right" |595|| align="right" |463
|-
| [[Tamil Nadu]]
|
|
||| align="right" |6,742
|-
| [[Telangana]]
|
|
||| align="right" |3,795
|-
| [[Tripura]]
|
|
|align="right" |573|| align="right" |854
|-
| [[Uttarakhand]]
|
|
| align="right" |660|| align="right" |2,949
|-
| [[Uttar Pradesh]]
|
|
||| align="right" |11,737
|-
| [[West Bengal]]
|
|
| align="right" |4|| align="right" |3,664
|-
| '''India total'''
|
| align="right" | 48,590<ref>http://nhai.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/Images/pdf/AnnualReport201516.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>
| align="right" |7,990
| align="right" |'''132,500'''<ref>https://morth.nic.in/sites/default/files/Summary-of-NHs_1.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>
|}

==Trivia==

* The longest National Highway is [[National Highway 44 (India)|NH44]],<ref name="ref8">"[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/New-numbers-for-national-highways/articleshow/10438355.cms New numbers for national highways]". ''Maps of India''.</ref> which runs between [[Srinagar]] in [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and [[Kanyakumari (town)|Kanyakumari]] in [[Tamil Nadu]], covering a distance of {{convert|3806|km|mi|abbr=on}}.
* The shortest National Highway is [[National Highway 766EE (India)|NH766EE]],<ref name="ref4">"[http://www.listkerala.com/highways_karnataka.htm List of highways in Karnatakaa]". ''nhai.gov.in''.</ref><ref>"[http://www.india9.com/i9show/National-Highway-536-.htm National Highway 536]". ''India9.com''.</ref> which spans {{convert|4.27|km|mi|abbr=on}}, from [[Hettikeri]] to [[Belekeri port, India|Belekeri port]] in [[Karnataka]].
*

*
* The [[Leh–Manali Highway]] connecting [[Leh]] in [[Ladakh]] to [[Manali, Himachal Pradesh|Manali]] in [[Himachal Pradesh]] is the world's second highest-altitude motorable highway.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}

==See also==
* [[List of National Highways in India by highway number]]
* [[List of National Highways in India by state]]
* [[List of National Highways in India by union territory]]
* [[India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway]]
* [[Roads in India]]

== References and notes ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* [http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/c/30555103 Story of a village by the highways]

{{Highways in India}}

[[Category:National highways in India| ]]
[[Category:Roads in India]]

National highways of India - Revision history

YukikoTousignant: basic adjusted intro for accuracy additionally and fixed typos

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