Asian Highway Network

Map of the highways

Asian Highway 2 sign near Ratchaburi, Thailand

A section of Malaysia's North-South Expressway in Penang. Note the Asian Highway 2 signage.

Asian Highway Route Sign. This sign is used on the AH 18.

The Asian Highway (AH) project, also known as the Great Asian Highway, is a cooperative project among countries in Asia and Europe and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), to improve the highway systems in Asia. 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, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, China, Iran, Japan, South Korea and Bangladesh.^[1] Most of the funding comes from the larger, more advanced Asian nations like Japan, India, South Korea and China as well as international agencies such as the Asian Development Bank.

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."^[1]

However, in the mid-2000s some transportation experts were sceptical about the viability of the project given the economic and political climate in both South and South-East Asia.^[1]

The Asian Highway Network is going to take over 2 projects, one is the AH 45 and the other is the new AH 45A. AH 45A is the new highway all over Asia from Tonghua to Sana'a.

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 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.^[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.^[1]

Regional perceptions of the project

According to Om Prakash, "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]

Routes

Route AH1 is proposed to extend from Tokyo to the border with Bulgaria 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, with additional US$18 billion needed for upgrades and improvements to 26,000 km of highway.^[3]

Numbering and signage

The project new highway route numbers begin with "AH", standing for "Asian Highway", followed by one, two or three digits.^[4] Single-digit route numbers from 1 to 9 are assigned to major Asian Highway routes which cross more than one subregion.^[4] 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.^[4] 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.^[4]

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][4][5]

First car crossing

What is believed to be the first car crossing of the full extent (East to West) of the new Asian Highway was achieved by Britons Richard Meredith and Phil Colley in 2007 driving an Aston Martin.

Following the AH1 and the AH5 from Tokyo (the Highway grid's furthest point East) to Istanbul (furthest West), they drove a total of 12089 km (7512 miles) before joining the European motorway network for another 3259 km (2025 miles) to London.

Including ferry trips and customs clearance delays, the journey took 49 days and crossed 18 countries.

The completed route was verified by Aston Martin^[6] and the UN's Asian Commission (UNESCAP) in Bangkok, whose director of transport and tourism Barry Cable confirmed "I can warrant that, to my best knowledge, this was the first car to undertake this journey".^[7][8]

Eurowatch in London provided independent corroboration by tracking the car's location from satellite position reports and plotting the vehicle's location throughout the journey.^[9][10]

Meredith, a travel author and veteran of distance-driving events, agreed to make the attempt after attending the Asian Highway Treaty's "coming into force" ceremony in Bangkok on July 4, 2005.

He was lent an Aston Martin V8 Vantage which had previously been the personal transport of the company's chief executive Dr Ulrich Bez and recruited Phil Colley, a linguist and travel expert from Kennington, South London, to be his co-driver. The car was shipped out to Tokyo by the company and they set off on June 25.^[11]

Although the trip was facilitated by UNESCAP through its member nations, there were still extensive problems^[12] including enforced detours and interminable customs clearance delays in China, pot-holed roads in Kazakhstan and leaded-only fuel in Uzbekistan. In Tbilisi, Georgia, the journey car crashed after being left on a hillside with its handbrake unsecured.

When the record-setting car returned^[13][14] a welcome-home reception was staged by Aston Martin at the Park Lane Hotel in London and Meredith later received a civic award from his home town of Milton Keynes.^[15][16][17]

The car was sold at auction in December 2007 by Bonhams^[18][19] and the proceeds donated to UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. In March 2008 a total collection of 83,000 euros was presented to UNICEF China for a campaign to reduce child deaths on the roads of Beijing.^[20]

Route log

AH1 to AH8: Continent-Wide Routes

AH10 to AH29 and AH100 to AH299: Southeast Asia Routes

AH30 to AH39 and AH300 to AH399: East Asia and Northeast Asia Routes

AH40 to AH59 and AH400 to AH599: Indian Subcontinent Routes

AH60 to AH89 and AH600 to AH899: North Asia, Central Asia and Southwest Asia Routes

• AH60, 2,151 km (1344 miles); Omsk, Russia (on AH6) to Burubaital, Kazakhstan (on AH7)
• AH61, 4,158 km (2599 miles); Kashgar, China (on AH4/AH65) to border between Russia and Ukraine
• AH62, 2,722 km (1701 miles); Petropavl, Kazakhstan (on AH6/AH64) to Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan (on AH76)
• AH63, 2,434 km (1521 miles); Samara, Russia (on AH6) to Guzar, Uzbekistan (on AH62)
• AH64, 1,666 km (1041 miles); Petropavl, Kazakhstan (on AH6/AH62) to Barnaul, Russia (on AH4)
• AH65, 1,250 km (781 miles); Kashgar, China (on AH4/AH61) to Termez, Uzbekistan (on AH62)
• AH66, 995 km (622 miles); border between China and Tajikistan to Dushanbe, Tajikistan
• AH67, 2,288 km (1430 miles); Kuitun, China (on AH5) to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (on AH62)
• AH68, 278 km (174 miles); Jinghe, China (on AH5) to Ucharal, Kazakhstan (on AH60)
• AH70, 4,832 km (3020 miles); border between Ukraine and Russia to Bandar Abbas, Iran
• AH71, 426 km (266 miles); Dilaram, Afghanistan (on AH1) to Dashtak, Sistan and Baluchestan|Dashtak]], Iran (on AH75)
• AH72, 1,147 km (717 miles); Tehran, Iran (on AH1/AH2/AH8) to Bushehr, Iran
• AH75, 1,871 km (1169 miles); Tejen, Turkmenistan (on AH5) to Chabahar, Iran
• AH76, 986 km (616 miles); Polekhumri, Afghanistan (on AH7) to Herat, Afghanistan (on AH1/AH77)
• AH77, 1,298 km (811 miles); Djbulsarcj, Afghanistan (on AH7) to Mary, Turkmenistan (on AH5)
• AH78, 1,076 km (672.5 miles); Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (on AH5) to Kerman, Iran (on AH2)
• AH81, 1,143 km (714 miles); Larsi, Georgia to Aktau, Kazakhstan (on AH70)
• AH82, 1,261 km (788 miles); border between Russia and Georgia to Ivughli, Iran (on AH1)
• AH83, 172 km (107.5 miles); Kazakh, Azerbaijan (on AH5) to Yerevan, Armenia (on AH81/AH82)
• AH84, 1,188 km (742.5 miles); Doğubeyazıt, Turkey (on AH1) to İçel, Turkey
• AH85, 338 km (211 miles); Refahiye, Turkey (on AH1) to Merzifon, Turkey (on AH5)
• AH86, 247 km (154 miles); Askale, Turkey (on AH1) to Trabzon, Turkey (on AH5)
• AH87, 606 km (378.75 miles); Ankara, Turkey (on AH1) to İzmir, Turkey

Distance by country

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

Country	Distance in km	Distance in Miles
Afghanistan	4,247	2,639
Armenia	958	595
Azerbaijan	1,442	896
Bangladesh	1,804	1,121
Bhutan	1	0.621
Cambodia	1,339	832
China	25,579	15,894
North Korea	1,320	820
Georgia	1,154	717
Hong Kong	91	57
India	11,432	7,104
Indonesia	3,989	2,479
Iran	11,152	6,930
Japan	1,200	746
Kazakhstan	13,189	8,195
Kyrgyzstan	1,695	1,053
Laos	2,297	1,427
Malaysia	4,006	2,489
Mongolia	4,286	2,663
Myanmar	3,003	1,866
Nepal	1,321	821
Pakistan	5,377	3,341
Philippines	3,517	2,185
Republic of Korea	907	564
Russia	16,869	10,482
Singapore	19	12
Sri Lanka	650	404
Tajikistan	1,925	1,196
Thailand	5,112	3,176
Turkey	5,254	3,265
Turkmenistan	2,204	1,370
Uzbekistan	2,966	1,843
Vietnam	2,678	1,664

See also

• International E-road network
• Arab Mashreq International Road Network
• Trans-Asian Railway
• Japan–Korea Undersea Tunnel
• One Belt, One Road
• Eurasian Land Bridge
• Hippie trail

References

External links

• The project homepage
• 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

Asian Highway Network
Across the whole continent	AH1 AH2 AH3 AH4 AH5 AH6 AH7 AH8
Southeast Asia	AH11 AH12 AH13 AH14 AH15 AH16 AH17 AH18 AH19 AH25 AH26 AH111 AH112 AH123 AH140 AH141 AH142 AH143 AH150
East Asia, Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia	AH30 AH31 AH32 AH33 AH34 AH368 AH374
South Asia	AH41 AH42 AH43 AH44 AH45 AH46 AH47 AH48 AH51
North Asia, Central Asia and Southwest Asia	AH60 AH61 AH62 AH63 AH64 AH65 AH66 AH67 AH68 AH70 AH71 AH72 AH75 AH76 AH77 AH78 AH81 AH82 AH83 AH84 AH85 AH86 AH87