National Highways are Named in India
National highways are named in India by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) established under the Act of Parliament. The concerned authority was set up in 1988 and is not only responsible for naming but the development, maintenance and management of Highways in India. NHAI began functioning under the patronage of its Chairman and Members in February 1995.
India consists of the second largest road network throughout the world. The total length of National Highways is expanded from about 91,287 km in 2014 to approximately 142,126 km in 2019.
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How The Numbers Are Allocated to National Highways in India:
For all the national highways running from North to South, even numbers are being used and assigned from East to West in an ascending order. This is to say, for lower longitudes high numbers and for high longitudes, lower numbers are assigned. NH-2 is situated in North Eastern States and NH-68 is situated in Rajasthan.
For all the highways going from East to West, odd numbers are being given. In such a case, the highways are named in ascending numbers from East to West. Simply to say, for lower latitudes higher numbers and for high latitudes, lower numbers are assigned. For example, NH-8 is situated in J&K and NH-87 is situated in Tamil Nadu.
For all the significant highways in India, one or two digit numbers are being used.
If we move from East to West, the numbers that are being used for highways situated in the North to South direction increase. As an example, if number 4 is being used for a highway situated on the North South but in a Eastern State, then the number for a highway situated on North to South but in a Western State or a Central State will always be represented by more than four.
Highways which are represented by three digit numbers are called subsidiary highways. To take an Example, 144, 244, 344 are the subdivisions of National Highway number 44. In the subsidiary highway number, if the first digit is even, then the highway is located from North to South and if the first digit is odd, then the highway is situated from East to West.
The sections of the subsidiary highways are signified by placing a letter, A, B, C or D in the three digit number in order to simplify the identification.
How To Identify The National Highways Named In India
List of Important National Highways in India
As we know how national highways are named in India, now we shall learn about the list of important national highways in India.
FAQs on National Highways
1. How does a State Highway become a National Highway?
As per the Section 2 of the National Highways Act, 1956, it provides the central government the exclusive right to announce any road as a National Highway in the country and insert it into the list of National Highways annexed to the Act. The Act also grants the central government the right to notify through the national gazette the eradication of any National Highway from the list.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in mutual consent with the former Planning Commission, had come up with a criterion which, if met, could divulge a road up for consideration to become a National Highway. These criteria are hugely in accord with the Nagpur Plan for a National Highway. State governments can submit proposals to the central government in order to upgrade roads to National Highways. Every time the Union Cabinet sends approval for an upgrade, it has to be announced through the national gazette, and the list of National Highways under the National Highways Act, 1956, needs to be amended.
States do not possess the ability to upgrade State Highways to National Highways or vice versa. They do, however, retain the right to label State Highways as District Roads, as some states have conducted to sidestep the Supreme Court’s order. In such cases, liquor can also be purchased or consumed near these Highway-turned-District Roads.
2. What is the volume of traffic on National Highways?
As per the National Highways Authority of India, roads bear approximately 80% of its passenger traffic and 65% of India’s freight traffic. National Highways carry about 40% of the country’s total road traffic.
3. How are Roads classified in India?
As World War II observed a quick upsurge in the volume of road traffic in India, the government of the Raj summoned a conference of engineers at Nagpur in 1943 for the purpose of discussing the condition of roads, and the way forward. The conference resulted in producing the Nagpur Plan, which classified roads into 4 main categories: State Highways, National Highways, and District Roads and Village roads. Sometime Later, Expressways were added up as an additional category.
