National Highways in India – Total & Important National Highway List
By Balaji
Updated on: February 17th, 2023
The national highways in India are a network of compartment roads owned by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Presently, the longest among the National Highways in India is National Highway 44, stretching over 4,112 km. Most existing highways are nowadays four-lane roads (two routes in separate directions) and are in the process of being developed to six or more lanes. Some divisions of the network are toll highways.
There are 599 national highways in India, built and supervised by public works departments (PWD) of state governments, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). This article will illustrate the total number of national highways in India, their state-wise length, and important facts about them.
Table of content
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1. National Highway
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2. List of Important National Highways in India
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3. History of National Highway in India
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4. Functions of NHIDCL or National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited
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5. Total National Highway in India Length (State-Wise)
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6. Interesting Facts about NH in India
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7. National Highways in India Map
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8. National Highways in India for UPSC Exam
National Highway
2.7% of the road networks form the national highways. These are considered essential for the transit and transportation. The National Highways Authority India Act led to the establishment of the highways. India’s road network is highly renowned and it holds the position of second largest road network in the world. The major national highways in India are-
- NH 65
- NH 147
- NH 41
- NH 138
List of Important National Highways in India
The table indicates the list of national highways in India, their old and new highway number, and the Indian states or union territories through which they run.
| National Highways in India Old Number | NH New Number | Serial No. in NH Act, 1956 | National Highways in India State-wise |
| NH 9 | NH 65 | 196 | Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana |
| NH 8 D | NH 151 | 171 | Gujarat |
| NH 8 C | NH 147 | 154 | Gujarat |
| NH 8 A | NH 41 | 139 | Gujarat |
| NH 8 | NH 48 (Golden Quadrilateral) | 157 | Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu |
| NH 79 | NH 156 | 184 | Rajasthan |
| NH 7 A | NH 138 | 131 | Tamil Nadu |
| NH 7 | NH 135 | 123 | Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh |
| NH 56 | NH 731 | 110 | Uttar Pradesh |
| NH 55 | NH 110 | 34 | West Bengal |
| NH 5
NH 6 NH 60 NH 217 |
NH 16 (Golden Quadrilateral) | 49 | Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal |
| NH 47 C | NH 966 A | 204 | Kerala |
| NH 47 A | NH 966 B | 205 | Kerala |
| NH 47 | NH 544 | 147 | Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| NH 4 B | NH 348 | 161 | Maharashtra |
| NH 4 A | NH 748 | 165 | Goa, Karnataka |
| NH 39 | NH 129 | 98 | Assam, Nagaland |
| NH 38 & NH 153 | NH 315 | 45 | Assam, Arunachal Pradesh |
| NH 35 | NH 112 | 37 | West Bengal |
| NH 30 | NH 319 | 65 | Bihar |
| NH 3
NH 50 |
NH 60 | 188 | Maharashtra |
| NH 2B | NH 114 | 40 | West Bengal |
| NH 2A | NH 519 | 66 | Uttar Pradesh |
| NH 24 | NH 530 | 102 | Uttar Pradesh |
| NH 23 | NH 320 | 71 | Jharkhand |
| NH 223 | NH 4 | 12 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
| NH 21
NH 22 NH 95 |
NH 5 | 13 | Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab |
| NH 2 | NH 19 (Golden Quadrilateral) | 63 | Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal |
| NH 18
NH 4 |
NH 40 | 136 | Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh |
| NH 152 | NH 127 A | 87 | Assam |
| NH 12 | NH 45 | 336 | Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh |
| NH 11 A | NH 148 | 158 | Rajasthan |
| NH 11 | NH 21 | 73 | Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh |
| NH 1 B | NH 244 | 144 | Jammu & Kashmir |
| NH 1 A and NH 1 D | NH 1 | 1 | Jammu & Kashmir |
History of National Highway in India
The National Highways Act (1956) provided the state’s investment in constructing and maintaining the national highways in India. The National Highways Authority of India was founded by the National Highways Authority of India Act 1988. Following was the sequence of events in the history of national highways.
| Year | Important Events related to National Highway in India |
| 1998 | Launched a huge program of highway upgrades called the National Highways Development Project (NHDP).
Highways linking Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata were fully paved and broadened into four-lane highways. |
| 2010 | A new systematic numbering system (based on the orientation and the geographic place of the highway) was adopted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. |
| 2014 | Initiated the functioning of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited. |
| 2018 | Bharatmala, a centrally-sponsored and funded highways project of the Government of India, was started |
| 2021-2022 | Phase I of the Bharatmala project concerns the building of 34,800 km of highways. |
Functions of NHIDCL or National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited
National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, abbreviated as NHIDCL, is a Government company owned by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
- It was assembled to create, support, and handle the national highways in India and other infrastructures.
- It works as a specialized agency in border and high-altitude zones.
- It was committed to upgrading regional connectivity in regions that share international borders.
- It is liable for managing National Highways in the mountainous topography of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Ladakh, the North-East part of India, and Uttarakhand.
- NHIDCL is also making logistic epicenters such as container depots, bus dockyards, computerized multilevel parking of cars, etc.
Total National Highway in India Length (State-Wise)
Comprehend the total number of national highways in India, their overall length, and know which is the longest national highway in India. The National Highways in India’s total length is 132500 Kms.
| State | Length of National Highways in India (in Kms) |
| Maharashtra | 17756.6 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 11736.8 |
| Rajasthan | 9988.8 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 8772.3 |
| Karnataka | 7334.8 |
| Tami Nadu | 6741.5 |
| Gujarat | 6635 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 6529.5 |
| Odisha | 5761.5 |
| Bihar | 5030.6 |
| Assam | 3908.5 |
| Telangana | 3795.5 |
| Punjab | 3769.5 |
| West Bengal | 3664.5 |
| Chattisgarh | 3605.8 |
| Jharkhand | 3366.8 |
| Haryana | 3097.6 |
| Uttarakhand | 2949.3 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 2606.9 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 2537.4 |
| Kerala | 1781.6 |
| Manipur | 1750.3 |
| Nagaland | 1547.7 |
| Mizoram | 1422.5 |
| Meghalaya | 1155.6 |
| Tripura | 853.8 |
| Sikkim | 463 |
| Goa | 292.9 |
Interesting Facts about NH in India
The government undertook the Bharatmala Project to build Economic Corridors with approximately 26,000 km length, accompanying North-South, East-West (NS-EW), and Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) Corridors anticipated holding the major shipment traffic on highways.
- National highways in India are designed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
- The authority to declare any route as a National Highway in India lies in the hands of the Central Government, which incorporates it into the Schedule.
- The growth, care, and surveillance of the national highways of India are supervised by the self-supported body called the NHAI, or the National Highways Authority of India.
National Highways in India Map
The map indicates the major national highways in India. The map illustrates the complete details of the national highways in India.
National Highways in India for UPSC Exam
Aspiring UPSC candidates must be aware of the list of major national highways, a crucial fixed GK topic. Questions can be asked in UPSC prelims regarding the national highway. IAS Exam aspirants should know the relevant facts about the National Highways in India as it is an essential topic that comes under the Geography section of the UPSC exam.
Aspirants should be well-versed in the National Highways in India topic. They can also refer to Geography Notes for UPSC to avoid skipping any important part of the Geography syllabus from where questions can be put up in the Prelims and Mains exam.
