The Asian Highway Network (AH), also known as the Great Asian Highway, is a cooperative project among countries in Asia and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to improve their connectivity via highway systems. It is one of the three pillars of the Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development (ALTID) project, endorsed by the ESCAP commission at its 48th session in 1992, comprising Asian Highway, Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) and facilitation of land transport projects.
Agreements have been signed by 32 countries to allow the highway to cross the continent and also reach to Europe. Some of the countries taking part in the highway project are India (Act East policy), Sri Lanka, Pakistan, China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Nepal and Bangladesh. Most of the funding comes from the larger, more advanced Asian nations such as China, South Korea and Singapore as well as international agencies such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
The project aims to make maximum use of the continent's existing highways to avoid the construction of newer ones, except in cases where missing routes necessitate their construction. Project Monitor, an Asian infrastructure news website, has commented that "early beneficiaries of the Asian Highway project are the planners within the national land transport department of the participating countries [since] it assists them in planning the most cost-effective and efficient routes to promote domestic and international trade. Non-coastal areas, which are often negligible, are the other beneficiaries."
However, in the mid-2000s some transportation experts were skeptical about the viability of the project given the economic and political climate in both South and Southeast Asia.
History 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, 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..
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.Milton Keynes Citizen 2008-11-03 "Aston adventure" Page 2
Implications 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.Kamat, Rahul The Great Asian Highway , Project Monitor website, 31 January 2005. Retrieved 2009-05-05 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."
Future development plans 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. has been spent or committed with additional US$18 billion needed for upgrades and improvements to of highway."Priority Investment Needs for the Development for the Asian Highway Network" , accessed July 14, 2007
Numbering and signage The project new highway route numbers begin with "AH", standing for "Asian Highway", followed by one, two or three digits. Single-digit route numbers from 1 to 9 are assigned to major Asian Highway routes which cross more than one subregion. 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.Newswire , Tourism Commission of the International Geographical Union website. Retrieved 2009-05-05; 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.
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.McCartan, Brian Roadblocks on the Great Asian Highway, Asia Times website, 23 January 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-05;
Routes AH1 to AH9: Continent-Wide Routes East-West, from S to N: 2, 1 intermixed, 5, 9, 6. North-South, from E to W: 1 (along East China), 3, 4, 7, 8. – : Tokyo, Japan – Bulgarian border, Turkey Tokyo – Shibuya – Setagaya – Yokohama – Atsugi – Matsuda – Gotemba – Mishima – Fuji – Shizuoka – Fujieda – Kakegawa – Fukuroi – Hamamatsu – Toyokawa – Okazaki – Toyota – Nagoya – Ogaki – Hikone – Higashiomi – Otsu – Kyoto – Takatsuki – Osaka – Kobe – Akashi – Kakogawa – Himeji – Aioi – Akaiwa – Okayama – Asakuchi – Fukuyama – Mihara – Hiroshima – Iwakuni – Kudamatsu – Hofu – Yamaguchi – Shimonoseki – Kitakyushu – Koga – Fukuoka – Busan – Yangsan – Ulsan – Gyeongju – Yeongcheon – Gyeongsan – Daegu – Gumi – Gimcheon – Yeongdong – Okcheon – Daejeon – Cheongju – Cheonan – Anseong – Osan – Suwon – Seongnam – Seoul – Goyang – Paju – Munsan – Kaesong – Pyongyang – Sinuiju – Dandong – Shenyang – Beijing – Shijiazhuang – Zhengzhou – Xinyang – Wuhan – Changsha – Xiangtan – Hong Kong – Shenzhen – Guangzhou – Nanning – Youyiguan – Hữu Nghị – Đồng Đăng – Hanoi – Vinh – Đông Hà – Huế – Da Nang – Hội An – Nha Trang – Vũng Tàu – Biên Hòa – Ho Chi Minh City – Mộc Bài – Bavet – Phnom Penh – Poipet – Aranyaprathet – Kabin Buri – Hin Kong – Bangkok – Bang Pa-in – Nakhon Sawan – Tak – Mae Sot – Myawaddy – Yangon – Payagyi – Meiktila – Mandalay – Tamu – Moreh – Imphal – Viswema – Kohima – Chümoukedima – Dimapur – Nagaon – Guwahati – Jorabat – Shillong – Dawki – Tamabil – Sylhet – Kachpur – Dhaka – Jashore – Benapole – Petrapole – Kolkata – Dhanbad – Gaya – Sasaram – Varanasi – Kanpur – Agra – New Delhi – Attari – Wagah – Lahore – Islamabad – Rawalpindi – Hassan Abdal – Peshawar – Torkham – Kabul – Kandahar – Delaram – Herat – Islam Qala – Dowqarun – Mashhad – Neishabour – Sabzevar – Damghan – Semnan – Tehran – Qazvin – Tabriz – Ivughli – Bazargan – Gürbulak – Doğubayazıt – Aşkale – Refahiye – Sivas – Ankara – Gerede – Istanbul – Kapıkule – : Denpasar, Indonesia – Khosravi, Iran Denpasar – Surabaya – Surakarta – Semarang – Cikampek (– Bandung) – Jakarta (– Merak) – Singapore – Singapore – Johor Bahru – Seremban – Kuala Lumpur – Butterworth – Bukit Kayu Hitam – Sadao – Hat Yai – Bangkok – Bang Pa-in – Nakhon Sawan – Tak – Chiang Rai – Mae Sai – Tachilek – Kengtung – Meiktila – Mandalay – Tamu – Moreh – Imphal – Viswema – Kohima – Chümoukedima – Dimapur – Nagaon – Jorabat (– Guwahati) – Shillong – Dawki – Tamabil – Sylhet – Kachpur – Dhaka – Hatikumrul – Rangpur – Banglabandha – Siliguri – Kakarbhitta – Pathlaiya – Narayangarh – Kohalpur – Mahendranagar – Bramhadev Mandi – Banbasa – Rampur – New Delhi – Attari – Wagah – Lahore – Multan – Rohri – Quetta – Taftan – Mirjaveh – Zahedan – Kerman – Anar – Yazd – Salafchegan (– Tehran) – Saveh – Hamadan – Khosravi – : Northern section: Ulan-Ude, Russia – Tanggu, China Ulan-Ude – Kyakhta – Altanbulag – Darkhan – Ulaanbaatar – Nalaikh – Choir – Sainshand – Zamyn-Üüd – Erenhot – Beijing – Tanggu Southern section: Shanghai, China – Chiang Rai, Thailand Shanghai – Hangzhou – Nanchang – Xiangtan – Guiyang – Kunming – Jinghong (– Daluo – Mong La – Keng Tung) – Mohan, Yunnan – Boten – Nateuy – Houayxay – Chiang Khong – Chiang Rai – : Novosibirsk, Russia – Karachi, Pakistan Novosibirsk – Barnaul – Tashanta – Ulaanbaishint – Ölgii – Khovd – Yarantai Ürümqi – Kashgar – Honqiraf – Khunjerab – Hassanabdal – Rawalpindi – Islamabad – Lahore – Multan – Rohri – Hyderabad – Karachi – : Shanghai, China – Bulgarian border, Turkey 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 – Olot – 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 – : Busan, South Korea – Belarusian border, Russia 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 – : Yekaterinburg, Russia – Karachi, Pakistan 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 – : Finnish border, Russia – Bandar Emam, Iran 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): St. Petersburg, Russia – Lianyungang, China St. Petersburg – Moscow – Ulyanovsk – Toliatti – Samara – Orenburg – Sagarchin – Zhaisan – Aktobe – Kyzylorda – Shymkent – Taraz – Almaty – Khorgas – Urumqi – Lianyungang
AH10 to AH29: Southeast Asia Routes
– : Vientiane, Laos – Sihanoukville, Cambodia Vientiane – Ban Lao – Thakhek – Seno – Pakse – Veunkham – Tranpeangkreal – Stung Treng – Kratie – Phnom Penh – Sihanoukville – : Nateuy, Laos – Hin Kong, Thailand Nateuy – Oudomxai – Pakmong – Louang Phrabang – Vientiane – Thanaleng – Nong Khai – Udon Thani – Khon Kaen – Nakhon Ratchasima – Hin Kong – : Hanoi, Vietnam – Nakhon Sawen, Thailand Hanoi – Hoa Binh – Son La – Dien Bien – Tây Trang – Pang Hok – Muang Khoua – Oudomxai – Muang Ngeun – Huai Kon – Uttaradit – Phitsanulok – Nakhon Sawan – : Hai Phong, Vietnam – Mandalay, Myanmar Hai Phong – Hanoi – Viet Tri – Lao Cai – Hekou – Kunming – Ruili – Muse – Lashio – Mandalay