The Longest Highways In India

On April 2010, the Indian government’s transport ministry published a new numbering system for the highways of India. According to the new system, highways running in the north to south direction are designated by even numbers increasing from east to west. All highways running east to west are designated by odd numbers increasing in the north to south direction. Major highways will be designated by single or double digit number while the branches of these highways will have three digit numbers. The numbers denoting the secondary highways will be the prefix of the number of the main highway. For eg., the branches of the NH44 will be designated as NH144, NH244, etc. Further, suffixes A, B, C, etc., are added to the three-digit highways to designate the still smaller branches of these highways.

1. National Highway 44 (NH 44)

The NH 44 is the longest highway in India. It runs for a distance of 3,745 km from Srinagar in the north to Kanyakumari in the south. The highway crosses 10 Indian states and the National Capital Region of Delhi. The highway passes through Haryana, UP, MP, Maharashtra, Telangana, AP, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu for distances of 184 km, 128 km, 504 km, 232 km, 504 km, 250 km, 125 km, and 627 km, respectively. The NH 44 was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 2, 2017.

2. National Highway 27 (NH 27)

The NH 27 was the longest highway in India prior to the inauguration of the NH 44. It runs for a distance of 3,507 km in an east to west direction from Porbandar in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam. On the way, it also passes through the Indian states of MP, UP, Bihar, and WB. 

3. National Highway 48 (NH 48)

The third longest national highway in India, the NH 48, runs for a distance of 2807 km. The highway begins at Delhi and ends at Chennai in Tamil Nadu. Prior to the 2010 renumbering of India’s national highways, the NH 48 was divided into two national highways, NH8 and NH 4. The highway traverses the six Indian states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and TN.