Asian Highway Network

The AH project was initiated by the United Nations in 1959 with the aim of promoting the development of international road transport in the region. During the first phase of the project (1960–1970) considerable progress was achieved, however, progress slowed down when financial assistance was suspended in 1975.

ESCAP has conducted several projects in cooperation with AH member countries step by step after the endorsement of ALTID in 1992.

The Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network (IGA) was adopted on February 28,1997 by the Intergovernmental Meeting ; 37000 kilometers,^[2] and was adopted on November 18, 2003, by the Intergovernmental Meeting; the IGA includes Annex I, which identifies 55 AH routes among 32 member countries totalling approximately 140,000 km (87,500 miles), and Annex II "Classification and Design Standards". During the 60th session of the ESCAP Commission at Shanghai, China, in April 2004, the IGA treaty was signed by 23 countries. By 2013, 29 countries had ratified the agreement.^[3]

In 2007, British drivers Richard Meredith and Phil Colley completed the first full East to West journey of the entire highway in an Aston Martin Vantage which was later sold to raise money for UNICEF. The drive was a marketing stunt promoted by the car manufacturer.^[4]

The advanced highway network would provide for greater trade and social interactions between Asian countries, including personal contacts, project capitalizations, connections of major container terminals with transportation points, and promotion of tourism via the new roadways.^[1] Infrastructure consultant Om Prakash noted that, "It's an excellent step taken by ESCAP to gather all the Asian countries under one crown but the problem with this project is political disputes between some countries, notably Pakistan and Myanmar, which is delaying the project."^{[1][dubious – discuss]}

Route AH1 is proposed to extend from Tokyo to the border with Bulgaria (EU) west of Istanbul and Edirne, passing through both Koreas, China and other countries in Southeast, Central and South Asia. The corridor is expected to improve trade links between East Asian countries, India and Russia. To complete the route, existing roads will be upgraded and new roads constructed to link the network. US$25 billion has been spent or committed As of 2007,^[update] with additional US$18 billion needed for upgrades and improvements to 26,000 kilometres (16,000 miles) of highway.^[5]

The project new highway route numbers begin with "AH", standing for "Asian Highway", followed by one, two or three digits.^[6] Single-digit route numbers from 1 to 9 are assigned to major Asian Highway routes which cross more than one subregion.^[6] Two- and three-digit route numbers are assigned to indicate the routes within subregions, including those connecting to neighbouring subregions, and self-contained highway routes within the participating countries.^[6] Route numbers are printed in the Latin script and Hindu-Arabic numerals and may simply be added to existing signage, like the E-road network.^[6]

The actual design of the signs has not been standardized, only that the letters and digits are in white or black, but the color, shape and size of the sign being completely flexible. Most examples feature a blue rectangular shield with a white inscription (similar to German Autobahn signage) with further examples of white on green and black on white rectangular shields.^[1][6][7]

•   – 20,557 km (12,774 mi): Tokyo, Japan – Bulgarian border, Turkey^[8]
  •   Border of Bulgaria – Kapıkule – Istanbul – Gerede – Ankara – Sivas – Refahiye – Aşkale – Doğubayazıt – Gürbulak –
  •   Bazargan – Ivughli – Tabriz – Qazvin – Tehran – Semnan – Damghan – Sabzevar – Neishabour-Mashhad – Dowqarun –
  •   Islam Qala – Herat – Delaram – Kandahar – Kabul – Torkham –
  •   Peshawar – Hassan Abdal – Rawalpindi (– Islamabad) – Lahore – Wagah –
  •   Attari – New Delhi – Agra – Kanpur – Varanasi – Sasaram – Kolkata – Petrapole –
  •   Benapole – Jashore – Dhaka – Kachpur – Sylhet – Tamabil –
  •   Dawki – Shillong – Jorabat (– Guwahati) – Nagaon – Dimapur – Chümoukedima – Kohima – Viswema – Imphal – Moreh –
  •   Tamu – Mandalay – Meiktila – Payagyi (– Yangon) – Myawaddy –
  •   Mae Sot – Tak – Nakhon Sawan – Bang Pa-in (– Bangkok) – Hin Kong – Kabin Buri – Aranyaprathet –
  •   Poipet – Phnom Penh – Bavet –
  •   Mộc Bài – Ho Chi Minh City – Biên Hòa (– Vũng Tàu) – Nha Trang – Hội An – Da Nang – Huế – Đông Hà – Vinh – Hanoi – Đồng Đăng – Hữu Nghị –
  •   Youyiguan – Nanning – Guangzhou (– Shenzhen –   Hong Kong) – Xiangtan – Changsha – Wuhan – Xinyang – Zhengzhou – Shijiazhuang – Beijing – Shenyang – Dandong –
  •   Sinuiju – Pyongyang – Kaesong –
  •   Munsan – Seoul – Daejeon – Daegu – Gyeongju – Busan ...
  •   Fukuoka – Tokyo
•   – 13,177 km (8,188 mi): Denpasar, Indonesia – Khosravi, Iran^[8]
  •   Khosravi – Hamadan – Saveh – Salafchegan (– Tehran) – Yazd – Anar – Kerman – Zahedan – Mirjaveh –
  •   Taftan – Quetta – Rohri – Multan – Lahore – Wagah –
  •   Attari – New Delhi – Rampur – Banbasa –
  •   Bramhadev Mandi – Mahendranagar – Kohalpur – Narayangarh – Pathlaiya – Kakarbhitta –
  •   Siliguri –
  •   Banglabandha– Rangpur– Hatikumrul – Dhaka – Kachpur – Sylhet – Tamabil –
  •   Dawki – Shillong – Jorabat (– Guwahati) – Nagaon – Dimapur – Chümoukedima – Kohima – Viswema – Imphal – Moreh –
  •   Tamu – Mandalay – Meiktila – Kengtung – Tachilek –
  •   Mae Sai – Chiang Rai – Tak – Nakhon Sawan – Bang Pa-in – Bangkok – Hat Yai – Sadao –
  •   Bukit Kayu Hitam – Butterworth – Kuala Lumpur – Seremban – Johor Bahru –
  •   Singapore – Sengkang
  •   Jakarta (– Merak) – Cikampek (– Bandung) – Semarang – Surakarta – Surabaya – Denpasar
•   – 7,331 km (4,555 mi):
  • Northern section: Ulan-Ude, Russia – Tanggu, China^[8]
    •   Ulan-Ude – Kyakhta –
    •   Altanbulag – Darkhan – Ulaanbaatar – Nalaikh – Choir – Sainshand – Zamyn-Üüd –
    •   Erenhot – Beijing – Tanggu
  • Southern section: Shanghai, China – Chiang Rai, Thailand^[8]
    •   Shanghai – Hangzhou – Nanchang – Xiangtan – Guiyang – Kunming – Jinghong (– Daluo –   Mong La – Keng Tung) – Mohan, Yunnan –
    •   Boten – Nateuy – Houayxay –
    •   Chiang Khong – Chiang Rai
•   – 6,024 km (3,743 mi): Novosibirsk, Russia – Karachi, Pakistan^[8]
  •   Novosibirsk – Barnaul – Tashanta –
  •   Ulaanbaishint – Khovd – Yarantai
  •   Ürümqi – Kashgar – Honqiraf –
  •   Khunjerab – Hassanabdal – Rawalpindi – Islamabad – Lahore – Multan – Rohri – Hyderabad – Karachi
•   – 10,380 km (6,450 mi): Shanghai, China – Bulgarian border, Turkey^[9]
  •   Border of Bulgaria – Kapikule – Istanbul – Gerede – Merzifon – Samsun – Trabzon – Sarp –
  •   Batumi – Poti – Senaki – (Port of Anaklia – Zugdidi bypass road – Samtredia) Khashuri – Mtskheta – Tbilisi –
  •   Red Bridge – Qazax – Ganja – Gazi Mammed – Alat – Baku ...
  •   Turkmenbashi – Serdar – Ashgabat – Tejen – Mary – Turkmenabat – Farap –
  •   Ələt – Bukhara – Navoi – Samarkand – Syrdaria – Tashkent – Chernyavka –
  •   Chernyaevka – Shymkent – Merki –
  •   Chaldovar – Kara Balta – Bishkek –
  •   Kordai – Kaskelen – Almaty –
  •   Khorgas – Jinghe – Kuytun – Ürümqi – Turpan – Lanzhou – Xi'an – Xinyang – Nanjing – Shanghai
•   – 10,475 km (6,509 mi): Busan, South Korea – Belarusian border, Russia^[8]
  •   Border of Belarus – Krasnoye – Moscow – Samara – Ufa – Chelyabinsk – Petukhovo –
  •   Chistoe – Petropavl – Karakoga –
  •   Isilkul – Omsk – Novosibirsk – Krasnoyarsk – Irkutsk – Ulan-Ude – Chita – Zabaykalsk –
  •   Manzhouli – Qiqihar – Harbin – Suifenhe –
  •   Pogranichny – Ussuriysk – Razdolnoye (– Vladivostok – Nahodka) – Khasan –
  •   Sonbong – Chongjin – Wonsan (– Pyongyang) –
  •   Goseong – Ganseong – Gangneung – Gyeongju – Busan
•   – 5,868 km (3,646 mi): Yekaterinburg, Russia – Karachi, Pakistan^[8]
  •   Yekaterinburg – Chelyabinsk – Troisk –
  •   Kaerak – Kostanai – Astana – Karaganda – Burubaital – Merke –
  •   Chaldovar – Kara-Balta – Osh  –
  •   Andijon – Tashkent – Syrdaria – Khavast –
  •   Khujand – Dushanbe – Nizhniy Panj –
  •   Shirkhan – Pol-e Khomri – Jabal Saraj – Kabul – Kandahar – Spin Boldak –
  •   Chaman – Quetta – Kalat – Karachi
•   – 4,907 km (3,049 mi): Finnish border, Russia – Bandar Emam, Iran^[8]
  •   Border of Finland – Torfyanovka – Vyborg – St. Petersburg – Moscow – Tambov – Borisoglebsk – Volgograd – Astrakhan – Khasavyurt – Mahachkala – Kazmalyarskiy –
  •   Samur – Sumgayit – Baku – Alat – Bilasuvar – Astara –
  •   Rasht – Qazvin – Tehran – Saveh – Ahvaz – Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni
•   – 9,222 km (5,730 mi)^{[citation needed]}: St. Petersburg, Russia – Lianyungang, China^[9][10]
  •   St. Petersburg – Moscow – Ulyanovsk – Toliatti – Samara – Orenburg – Sagarchin –
  •   Zhaisan – Aktobe – Kyzylorda – Shymkent – Taraz – Almaty –
  •   Khorgas – Urumqi – Lianyungang

•   – 1,588 km (987 mi): Vientiane, Laos – Sihanoukville, Cambodia^[8]
  •   Vientiane – Ban Lao – Thakhek – Seno – Pakse – Veunkham – Tranpeangkreal –
  •   Stung Treng – Kratie – Phnom Penh – Sihanoukville
•   – 1,195 km (743 mi): Nateuy, Laos – Hin Kong, Thailand^[8]
  •   Nateuy – Oudomxai – Pakmong – Louang Phrabang – Vientiane – Thanaleng –
  •   Nong Khai – Udon Thani – Khon Kaen – Nakhon Ratchasima – Hin Kong
•   – 1,429 km (888 mi): Hanoi, Vietnam – Nakhon Sawen, Thailand^[8]
  •   Hanoi – Hoa Binh – Son La – Dien Bien – Tây Trang –
  •   Pang Hok – Muang Khoua – Oudomxai – Muang Ngeun –
  •   Huai Kon – Uttaradit – Phitsanulok – Nakhon Sawan
•   – 2,077 km (1,291 mi): Hai Phong, Vietnam – Mandalay, Myanmar^[8]
  •   Hai Phong – Hanoi – Viet Tri – Lao Cai –
  •   Hekou – Kunming – Ruili –
  •   Muse – Lashio – Mandalay
•   – 566 km (352 mi): Vinh, Vietnam – Udon Thani, Thailand^[8]
  •   Vinh – Cau Treo –
  •   Keoneau – Ban Lao – Thakhek –
  •   Nakhon Phanom – Udon Thani
•   – 1,032 km (641 mi): Đông Hà, Vietnam – Tak, Thailand^[8]
  •   Đông Hà – Lao Bao –
  •   Densavanh – Seno – Savannakhet –
  •   Mukdahan – Khon Kaen – Phitsanulok – Tak
•   – 980 km (610 mi): Đà Nẵng, Vietnam – Vũng Tàu, Vietnam^[11][12]
  •   Đà Nẵng – Kon Tum – Pleiku – Ho Chi Minh – Vũng Tàu
•   – 1,042 km (647 mi): Hat Yai, Thailand – Johor Bahru Causeway, Malaysia^[8]
  •   Hat Yai – Sungai Kolok –
  •   Rantau Panjang – Kota Bahru – Kuantan – Johor Bahru – Johor Bahru Causeway
•   – 459 km (285 mi): Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand – Bangkok, Thailand^[8]
  •   Nakhon Ratchasima – Kabin Buri – Laem Chabang – Chonburi – Bangkok
• AH21 – length unknown: Qui Nhơn, Vietnam – Serei Saophoan, Cambodia^[9]
  •   Quy Nhon port – Pleiku – Le Thanh –
  •   O Yadav – Banlung – Stung Treng – Preah Vihear – Siem Reap – Serei Saophoan
•   Trans-Sumatran Highway (Eastern Route) – 2,549 km (1,584 mi): Banda Aceh, Indonesia – Merak, Indonesia^[8]
  •   Banda Aceh – Medan – Tebingtinggi – Dumai – Pekanbaru – Jambi – Palembang – Tanjung Karang – Bakauheni ... Merak
•   Pan-Philippine Highway – 3,379.73 km (2,100.07 mi):^[13] Laoag, Philippines – Zamboanga, Philippines^[8]
  •   Laoag – Tuguegarao – Guiguinto – Quezon City (– Manila – Makati) – Makati – Calamba – Legazpi – Matnog ... Allen – Tacloban (– Ormoc City ... Cebu City) – Liloan ... Surigao – Butuan – Davao (– Cagayan de Oro) – General Santos – Cotabato City – Zamboanga

These routes were set up by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as part of an extension to the Asian Highway Network, known as the ASEAN Highway Network.^[11][12]

The planned network runs a total of 140,479 kilometres (87,290 mi).

• Other intercontinental highway systems: International E-road network, Pan-American Highway, Arab Mashreq International Road Network and Trans-African Highway network
• Trans-Asian Railway
• Japan–Korea Undersea Tunnel
• G3 Beijing–Taipei Expressway
• Seikan Tunnel
• One Belt, One Road
• Eurasian Land Bridge
• Bering land bridge
• Hippie trail

• The project homepage Archived 2015-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  • Alternative link
• Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network
• Asia signs up to 'new Silk Road' BBC News report (April 26, 2004)
• UNESCAP press release announcing treaty
• 2003 Asian Highway Handbook
• Pakistan's Gwadar to Afghanistan, China road declared Asian Highway
• Driven Together, Historic first crossing of Asia's new Highway to the West
• Asian Highway Network Details