Asian Highway Network

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.

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. 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 26000 km of highway.

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. 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.

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.
• [[File:Tabliczka AH1.svg|35px|link=AH1]] – 20557 km: Tokyo, Japan – Bulgarian border, Turkey
  • cxxlo Border of Bulgaria – Kapıkule – Istanbul – Gerede – Ankara – Sivas – Refahiye – Aşkale – Doğubayazıt – Gürbulak –
  • cxxlo Bazargan – Ivughli – Tabriz – Qazvin – Tehran – Semnan – Damghan – Sabzevar – Neishabour-Mashhad – Dowqarun –
  • cxxlo Islam Qala – Herat – Delaram – Kandahar – Kabul – Torkham –
  • cxxlo Peshawar – Hassan Abdal – Rawalpindi (– Islamabad) – Lahore – Wagah –
  • cxxlo Attari – New Delhi – Agra – Kanpur – Varanasi – Sasaram –Gaya–Dhanbad– Kolkata – Petrapole –
  • cxxlo Benapole – Jashore – Dhaka – Kachpur – Sylhet – Tamabil –
  • cxxlo Dawki – Shillong – Jorabat (– Guwahati) – Nagaon – Dimapur – Chümoukedima – Kohima – Viswema – Imphal – Moreh –
  • cxxlo Tamu – Mandalay – Meiktila – Payagyi (– Yangon) – Myawaddy –
  • cxxlo Mae Sot – Tak – Nakhon Sawan – Bang Pa-in (– Bangkok) – Hin Kong – Kabin Buri – Aranyaprathet –
  • cxxlo Poipet – Phnom Penh – Bavet –
  • cxxlo 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 –
  • cxxlo Youyiguan – Nanning – Guangzhou (– Shenzhen – cxxlo Hong Kong) – Xiangtan – Changsha – Wuhan – Xinyang – Zhengzhou – Shijiazhuang – Beijing – Shenyang – Dandong –
  • cxxlo Sinuiju – Pyongyang – Kaesong –
  • cxxlo Munsan – Seoul – Daejeon – Daegu – Gyeongju – Busan ...
  • cxxlo Fukuoka – Tokyo
• [[File:Tabliczka AH2.svg|35px|link=AH2]] – 13177 km: Denpasar, Indonesia – Khosravi, Iran
  • cxxlo Khosravi – Hamadan – Saveh – Salafchegan (– Tehran) – Yazd – Anar – Kerman – Zahedan – Mirjaveh –
  • cxxlo Taftan – Quetta – Rohri – Multan – Lahore – Wagah –
  • cxxlo Attari – New Delhi – Rampur – Banbasa –
  • cxxlo Bramhadev Mandi – Mahendranagar – Kohalpur – Narayangarh – Pathlaiya – Kakarbhitta –
  • cxxlo Siliguri –
  • cxxlo Banglabandha– Rangpur– Hatikumrul – Dhaka – Kachpur – Sylhet – Tamabil –
  • cxxlo Dawki – Shillong – Jorabat (– Guwahati) – Nagaon – Dimapur – Chümoukedima – Kohima – Viswema – Imphal – Moreh –
  • cxxlo Tamu – Mandalay – Meiktila – Kengtung – Tachilek –
  • cxxlo Mae Sai – Chiang Rai – Tak – Nakhon Sawan – Bang Pa-in – Bangkok – Hat Yai – Sadao –
  • cxxlo Bukit Kayu Hitam – Butterworth – Kuala Lumpur – Seremban – Johor Bahru –
  • cxxlo Singapore – Singapore
  • cxxlo Jakarta (– Merak) – Cikampek (– Bandung) – Semarang – Surakarta – Surabaya – Denpasar
• [[File:Tabliczka AH3.svg|35px|link=AH3]] – 7331 km:
  • Northern section: Ulan-Ude, Russia – Tanggu, China
    • cxxlo Ulan-Ude – Kyakhta –
    • cxxlo Altanbulag – Darkhan – Ulaanbaatar – Nalaikh – Choir – Sainshand – Zamyn-Üüd –
    • cxxlo Erenhot – Beijing – Tanggu
  • Southern section: Shanghai, China – Chiang Rai, Thailand
    • cxxlo Shanghai – Hangzhou – Nanchang – Xiangtan – Guiyang – Kunming – Jinghong (– Daluo – cxxlo Mong La – Keng Tung) – Mohan, Yunnan –
    • cxxlo Boten – Nateuy – Houayxay –
    • cxxlo Chiang Khong – Chiang Rai
• [[File:Tabliczka AH4.svg|35px|link=AH4]] – 6024 km: Novosibirsk, Russia – Karachi, Pakistan
  • cxxlo Novosibirsk – Barnaul – Tashanta –
  • cxxlo Ulaanbaishint – Ölgii – Khovd – Yarantai
  • cxxlo Ürümqi – Kashgar – Honqiraf –
  • cxxlo Khunjerab – Hassanabdal – Rawalpindi – Islamabad – Lahore – Multan – Rohri – Hyderabad – Karachi
• [[File:Tabliczka AH5.svg|35px|link=AH5]] – 10380 km: Shanghai, China – Bulgarian border, Turkey
  • cxxlo Border of Bulgaria – Kapikule – Istanbul – Gerede – Merzifon – Samsun – Trabzon – Sarp –
  • cxxlo Batumi – Poti – Senaki – (Port of Anaklia – Zugdidi bypass road – Samtredia) Khashuri – Mtskheta – Tbilisi –
  • cxxlo Red Bridge – Qazax – Ganja – Gazi Mammed – Alat – Baku ...
  • cxxlo Turkmenbashi – Serdar – Ashgabat – Tejen – Mary – Turkmenabat – Farap –
  • cxxlo Ələt – Bukhara – Navoi – Samarkand – Syrdaria – Tashkent – Chernyavka –
  • cxxlo Chernyaevka – Shymkent – Merki –
  • cxxlo Chaldovar – Kara Balta – Bishkek –
  • cxxlo Kordai – Kaskelen – Almaty –
  • cxxlo Khorgas – Jinghe – Kuytun – Ürümqi – Turpan – Lanzhou – Xi'an – Xinyang – Nanjing – Shanghai
• [[File:Tabliczka AH6.svg|35px|link=AH6 (highway)]] – 10475 km: Busan, South Korea – Belarusian border, Russia
  • cxxlo Border of Belarus – Krasnoye – Moscow – Samara – Ufa – Chelyabinsk – Petukhovo –
  • cxxlo Chistoe – Petropavl – Karakoga –
  • cxxlo Isilkul – Omsk – Novosibirsk – Krasnoyarsk – Irkutsk – Ulan-Ude – Chita – Zabaykalsk –
  • cxxlo Manzhouli – Qiqihar – Harbin – Suifenhe –
  • cxxlo Pogranichny – Ussuriysk – Razdolnoye (– Vladivostok – Nahodka) – Khasan –
  • cxxlo Sonbong – Chongjin – Wonsan (– Pyongyang) –
  • cxxlo Goseong – Ganseong – Gangneung – Gyeongju – Busan
• [[File:Tabliczka AH7.svg|35px|link=AH7]] – 5868 km: Yekaterinburg, Russia – Karachi, Pakistan
  • cxxlo Yekaterinburg – Chelyabinsk – Troisk –
  • cxxlo Kaerak – Kostanai – Astana – Karaganda – Burubaital – Merke –
  • cxxlo Chaldovar – Kara-Balta – Osh cxxlo–
  • cxxlo Andijon – Tashkent – Syrdaria – Khavast –
  • cxxlo Khujand – Dushanbe – Nizhniy Panj –
  • cxxlo Shirkhan – Pol-e Khomri – Jabal Saraj – Kabul – Kandahar – Spin Boldak –
  • cxxlo Chaman – Quetta – Kalat – Karachi
• [[File:Tabliczka AH8.svg|35px|link=AH8]] – 4907 km: Finnish border, Russia – Bandar Emam, Iran
  • cxxlo Border of Finland – Torfyanovka – Vyborg – St. Petersburg – Moscow – Tambov – Borisoglebsk – Volgograd – Astrakhan – Khasavyurt – Mahachkala – Kazmalyarskiy –
  • cxxlo Samur – Sumgayit – Baku – Alat – Bilasuvar – Astara –
  • cxxlo Rasht – Qazvin – Tehran – Saveh – Ahvaz – Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni
• [[File:Tabliczka AH9.svg|35px|link=AH9]] – 9,222 km (5,730 mi): St. Petersburg, Russia – Lianyungang, China
  • cxxlo St. Petersburg – Moscow – Ulyanovsk – Toliatti – Samara – Orenburg – Sagarchin –
  • cxxlo Zhaisan – Aktobe – Kyzylorda – Shymkent – Taraz – Almaty –
  • cxxlo Khorgas – Urumqi – Lianyungang

AH10 to AH29: Southeast Asia Routes

• [[File:Tabliczka AH11.svg|35px|link=AH11]] – 1588 km: Vientiane, Laos – Sihanoukville, Cambodia
  • cxxlo Vientiane – Ban Lao – Thakhek – Seno – Pakse – Veunkham – Tranpeangkreal –
  • cxxlo Stung Treng – Kratie – Phnom Penh – Sihanoukville
• [[File:Tabliczka AH12.svg|35px|link=AH12]] – 1195 km: Nateuy, Laos – Hin Kong, Thailand
  • cxxlo Nateuy – Oudomxai – Pakmong – Louang Phrabang – Vientiane – Thanaleng –
  • cxxlo Nong Khai – Udon Thani – Khon Kaen – Nakhon Ratchasima – Hin Kong
• [[File:Tabliczka AH13.svg|35px|link=AH13]] – 1429 km: Hanoi, Vietnam – Nakhon Sawen, Thailand
  • cxxlo Hanoi – Hoa Binh – Son La – Dien Bien – Tây Trang –
  • cxxlo Pang Hok – Muang Khoua – Oudomxai – Muang Ngeun –
  • cxxlo Huai Kon – Uttaradit – Phitsanulok – Nakhon Sawan
• [[File:Tabliczka AH14.svg|35px|link=AH14]] – 2077 km: Hai Phong, Vietnam – Mandalay, Myanmar
  • cxxlo Hai Phong – Hanoi – Viet Tri – Lao Cai –
  • cxxlo Hekou – Kunming – Ruili –
  • cxxlo Muse – Lashio – Mandalay
• [[File:Tabliczka AH15.svg|35px|link=AH15]] – 566 km: Vinh, Vietnam – Udon Thani, Thailand
  • cxxlo Vinh – Cau Treo –
  • cxxlo Keoneau – Ban Lao – Thakhek –
  • cxxlo Nakhon Phanom – Udon Thani
• [[File:Tabliczka AH16.svg|35px|link=AH16]] – 1032 km: Đông Hà, Vietnam – Tak, Thailand
  • cxxlo Đông Hà – Lao Bao –
  • cxxlo Densavanh – Seno – Savannakhet –
  • cxxlo Mukdahan – Khon Kaen – Phitsanulok – Tak
• [[File:Tabliczka AH17.svg|35px|link=AH17]] – 980 km: Đà Nẵng, Vietnam – Vũng Tàu, Vietnam
  • cxxlo Đà Nẵng – Kon Tum – Pleiku – Ho Chi Minh – Vũng Tàu
• [[File:Tabliczka AH18.svg|35px|link=AH18]] – 1042 km: Hat Yai, Thailand – Johor Bahru Causeway, Malaysia
  • cxxlo Hat Yai – Sungai Kolok –
  • cxxlo Rantau Panjang – Kota Bahru – Kuantan – Johor Bahru – Johor Bahru Causeway
• [[File:Tabliczka AH19.svg|35px|link=AH19]] – 459 km: Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand – Bangkok, Thailand
  • cxxlo Nakhon Ratchasima – Kabin Buri – Laem Chabang – Chonburi – Bangkok
• AH21 – length unknown: Qui Nhơn, Vietnam – Serei Saophoan, Cambodia
  • cxxlo Quy Nhon port – Pleiku – Le Thanh –
  • cxxlo O Yadav – Banlung – Stung Treng – Preah Vihear – Siem Reap – Serei Saophoan
• [[File:Tabliczka AH25.svg|35px|link=AH25]] Trans-Sumatran Highway (Eastern Route) – 2549 km: Banda Aceh, Indonesia – Merak, Indonesia
  • cxxlo Banda Aceh – Medan – Tebingtinggi – Dumai – Pekanbaru – Jambi – Palembang – Tanjung Karang – Bakauheni ... Merak
• [[File:Tabliczka AH26.svg|35px|link=AH26]] Pan-Philippine Highway – 3379.73 km: Laoag, Philippines – Zamboanga, Philippines
  • cxxlo 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

AH30 to AH39: East Asia and Northeast Asia Routes

AH40 to AH59: South Asian Routes

AH60 to AH89: North Asia, Central Asia and Southwest Asia Routes

AH100 to AH299: ASEAN Southeast Asia Routes

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.

Distance by country or region

The planned network runs a total of 140479 km.

References

References

1. https://www.doh.go.th/content/page/page/8103 {{Bare URL inline. (July 2025)
2. "UNTC".
3. ''Milton Keynes Citizen'' 2008-11-03 "Aston adventure" Page 2
4. link. (2010-01-17 , Project Monitor website, 31 January 2005. Retrieved 2009-05-05)
5. [http://www.unescap.org/ttdw/common/tis/ah/priority_investment.asp#profiles "Priority Investment Needs for the Development for the Asian Highway Network"] {{webarchive. link. (July 20, 2007 , accessed July 14, 2007)
6. [http://www.geog.nau.edu/igust/China2005/other.html Newswire] {{webarchive. link. (January 12, 2010 , Tourism Commission of the International Geographical Union website. Retrieved 2009-05-05;)
7. McCartan, Brian [https://web.archive.org/web/20080509061154/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JA23Ae01.html Roadblocks on the Great Asian Highway], Asia Times website, 23 January 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-05;
8. "INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT ON THE ASIAN HIGHWAY NETWORK".
9. "Asian Highway Agreement with Amended Annex-I 2020". UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
10. "Asian Highway Network".
11. (2009). "ASEAN logistics network map.". JETRO.
12. (December 2010). "Master plan on ASEAN connectivity.". [ASEAN Secretariat, Public Outreach and Civil Society Division].
13. Cabral, Maria Catalina. "Asian Highway 26 (AH26)". Department of Public Works and Highways.
14. "Islamic Republic of Iran country presentation at the Eighth Meeting of the Working Group on the Asian Highway". UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
15. "Status of the Asian Highway in Member Countries {{!}} United Nations ESCAP".
16. (2016). "Master plan on ASEAN connectivity, 2025.".