The longest national highway in India is a long path that covers thousands of kilometers and links different states, cultures, and landscapes in the country, which is situated in the northern parts and the other end in the southern parts of India. In this all-encompassing blog, we shall find out what makes this highway outstanding, how it is included in the grand scheme of other national highways in India, and also, we shall see some interesting facts, such as the smallest national highway in India.
The transport network of India is being supported by the national highways, which support the trade, tourism, and the movement of people throughout India. Of the list of national highways in India, however, there is one particularly- both in length- and in geographical importance. We shall now take a ride along the longest highway in India and find out more about the highway system that has the nation in motion.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ?
The transportation grid of India consists of hundreds of major roads, which are referred to as national highways in India. The Government of India, through the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), maintains and expands these highways.
National Highway 44 (NH 44) is the longest national highway in India. It is around 4,113 kilometers long and is located between Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar and Tamil Nadu in Kanyakumari, and basically it connects the far north and the far south of the nation. This makes NH 44 the longest among the national highways in India.
NH 44 passes through several states, such as:
- Jammu & Kashmir
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Delhi
- Uttar Pradesh
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Telangana
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
- Tamil Nadu
This renders it as one of the most strategically vital transport corridors of the whole national highway system in India.
Also Read– Longest Expressways in India (2025)
๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ.
Before the redesignation of national highways in 201011, the current NH 44 was composed of many unconnected highways, such as old NH 1, NH 2, NH 3, and NH 7. These sections were merged, and they became one highway running north-south when India reorganized the highway numbering system.
This new reconfiguration not only made the logistical planning process easier but also enhanced connectivity between various parts of India. Consequently, NH 44 is a significant economic hub in the country in terms of national trade, tourism, and everyday economic activity.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ฎ๐.
The longest National Highway of India has several purposes:
๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐
NH 44 links agricultural regions, industrial belts, and metropolises like Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. Being part of the extensive national highway system in India, it enables the rapid movement of goods and services at the interstate level. This saves on travel durations, aids supply chains, and enhances regional economies.
๐๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Passing by NH 44 is a cultural stroll around India. This highway runs through the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir to the tropical south, experiencing varying languages, traditions, and environments. It brings out the cultural richness that characterizes India.
๐ง๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐บ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐น
To tourists, the longest national highway in India, which serves as an epic road trip route. It provides leisure in hill stations, historic cities, religious sites, and scenic landscapes, which encourage domestic tourism in diverse regions.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ?
And in case you are wondering how many national highways there are in India, this number may vary a bit every year due to additions, realignments, or reclassifications. But, according to the latest statistics (202526), the national highway system of India consists of more than 150.000 kilometers of roads, which comprise over 1.000 separate highways.
These highways are numbered systematically to enhance ease of navigation and planning. For example:
Highways with east-west direction have even numbers.
Odd numbers are given to north-south highways (such as NH 44).
India has an extensive network of national highways that are indeed essential to the national connectivity and economic effectiveness.
๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ -๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ.
Although NH 44 is the longest national highway in India, India also has routes that are comparatively very short. The smallest national highway in India is often neglected, but the fact that even short segments of roadway can be significant is testified by it.
By 202526, the competitors on the shortest national highway are:
NH-766EE (Karnataka): Ranging at a distance of 4.27km, this is a road linking Hatikari to Bailey Kerryport.
NH-548 (Maharashtra): This is an approximation of 5 km that connects Kalamboli with NH-348.
NH-118 (Jharkhand): It is another 5 km road that links Asanbani to Jamshedpur.
Historically, NH-47A (Kerala) used to be discussed as the shortest one, being approximately 5.9 km, the route between Kundanoor Junction and Kochi Port, but recent developments and reclassifications have taken over the title.
This comparison of the longest and shortest highways in India demonstrates the sheer variety of the list of national highways in India, as some of them are considered to have interstate extensions, and others to have very localized functions.
๐ ๐ฎ๐ท๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ.
The national highway network has several objectives:
๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ
Roads such as NH 44 allow efficient transport without having to use the small roads in order to make long-distance transportation.
๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด
The defense logistics, trade corridors, and economic growth zones are considered in designing and maintaining roads such as NH 44.
๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐
The recent improvements in the national highways of India are focused on safety aspects, such as dividers, lighting, bypassing heavy cities, and planned junctions.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
In short, NH 44, which is the longest national highway in India, does much more than only connecting the northern part of the country to the southern one. It is connected over a distance of over 4,000 kilometers, uniting economies, cultures, environments, and communities. The strategic significance of a properly designed road network is possible to understand by its role in the bigger picture of national highways in India.
In the meantime, the smallest national highway in India reminds us that even short roadways may have some significant purpose in a locality. The number of routes in the list of national highways in India is diverse, as the longest to the shortest route shows the different needs of transportation in India.
You want to take a road trip, you are researching the infrastructure of India, or you are just interested in knowing how this great network works; the longest and shortest highways in India give you an interesting insight into the development, planning, and connectivity of India.
๐๐๐ค๐ฆ
๐ญ. ๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ?
The longest national highway in India is NH 44 that traverses between Srinagar and Kanyakumari and has a length of approximately 4,113 km. It links 11 states, and it is the largest north-south route in the country.
๐ฎ. ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ผ๐๐?
NH 44 is renowned since India has its most and the least populated parts connected to enhance trade, tourism, and transportation. Besides, it links big cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.
๐ฏ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ?
Previously, the NH 44 used to be a mixture of the old highways such as NH 7, NH 1, and NH 2. Following the 2010 renumbering, they became a single continuous north-south corridor.
๐ฐ. ๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ถ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ก๐ ๐ณ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐ฐ?
NH 44 is longer than the old NH 7. Actually, NH 44 has taken over some parts of NH 7, becoming the longest national highway in India as a renumbered highway.
๐ฑ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ?
As of 2025-26, the smallest national highway in India is NH 766EE in Karnataka, approximately 4.27 km in length. It links Hatikari with Bailey Kerryport.
