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Asian Highway routes 1, 2, 14 and 41 connect Myanmar

The planned network runs a total of 87,799 miles (140,479 km). In Myanmar, total 3,003 km (1,877 miles).

AH1, 20,557 km (12,848 miles); Tokyo, Japan- MYANMAR to border between Turkey and Bulgaria(with AH5)

AH2, 13,177 km (8326 miles); Denpasar, Indonesia- MYANMAR to Khosravi, Iran

  • AH14, 2,077 km (1298 miles); Hai Phong, Vietnam to Mandalay, Myanmar (on AH1/AH2)
  • AH41, 948 km (592.5 miles); border between Myanmar and Bangladesh to Mongla, Bangladesh .According to Om Prakash, an advisor with in New Delhi: “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”.

    India views the project favourably since it would increase trade with its neighbours, especially Pakistan and Myanmar.

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 Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development (ALTID) project, endorsed by the ESCAP commission at its forty-eighth 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, Japan, South Korea and Bangladesh.[1] A significant part of the funding comes from the larger, more advanced nations 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 the:

“ 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.

The proposed 140,000-km Asian Highway, the longest road network in the world linking 32 countries, including India, is finally taking shape. Transport
experts in India are, however, sceptical about the viability of the project
given the current economic and political situation in South and South-East Asia.
The Asian Highway (AH) project is being undertaken by the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), specifically its Transport and Tourism Division.
“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,” Om Prakash, Advisor, International Consultant and Technocraft Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi, says.
India is keen to develop the Asian Highway as it would increase trade with her neighbours, especially
Pakistan and Myanmar. For instance, New Delhi is forging closer relations with Yangon by encouraging GAIL (India) Ltd and ONGC to export its products to Myanmar.
“The agreement between Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and
Thailand (signed in 2003) needs to be considered by India as an international
link for trade, while retaining the presently designated AH route through
Tambli, Bangladesh, and Imphal, India,” Sanjoy Hazarika Managing Trustee, Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research explains.
New Delhi is also hopeful that the mega project will bring India and Pakistan closer, more so since the resumption of bus and train services between the two countries.
Says Hazarika, “Given its extensive geographical coverage and the
recent move to integrate it with other means of transportation, the Asian
Highway project requires collective effort and close collaboration among the
Asian countries.”
The Asian Highway project will crisscross the Asian continent and reach Europe. For this, inter-governmental agreements have been
signed between 32 countries; last year India became the 24th country to sign the Asian Highway Agreement. Some of the other signatories are Pakistan, China, Japan, South Korea and Bangladesh. A significant part of the funding for the project has come from the larger or more economically advanced nations as well as multilateral agencies like the Asian Development Bank. The project is expected to be completed by 2010.
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 2007, 28 countries were signatories, which subsequently rose to 32 countries in 2008.

THE CONTRACTING PARTIES, CONSCIOUS of the need to promote and develop international road transport in Asia and with neighbouring regions, RECALLING the cooperation among members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in the formulation and operationalization of the Asian Highway network, CONSIDERING that in order to strengthen relations and promote international trade and tourism among members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission forAsia and the Pacific it is essential to develop the Asian Highway network to the requirements of international transport and the environment, keeping also in view the introduction of efficient international intermodal transport, CONTINUING the cooperative efforts for planning, development and improvement of international road transport within Asia and between Asia and neighbouring regions, HAVE AGREED as follows:

Article 1

Adoption of the Asian Highway network

The Contracting Parties, hereinafter referred to as the Parties, adopt the proposed highway network hereinafter referred to as the “Asian Highway network” and described in annex I to this Agreement, as a coordinated plan for the development of highway routes of international importance which they intend to undertake within the framework of their national programmes.

LIST OF THE ASIAN HIGHWAY ROUTES Asian Highway routes substantially crossing more than one subregion

AH route number AH1

Itinerary

Tokyo – Fukuoka – ferry – Pusan – Kyongju – Taegu – Taejon – Seoul – Munsan – Gaesung – Pyongyang – Sinuiju – Dandong – Shenyang – Beijing – Shijiazhuang – Zhengzhou –Xinyang – Wuhan – Changsha – Xiangtan – Guangzhou (– Shenzhen) – Nanning –Youyiguan – Huu Nghi – Dong Dang – Ha Noi – Vinh – Dong Ha – Hue – Da Nang – Hoi An– Nha Trang – Bien Hoa (– Vung Tau) – Ho Chi Minh City – Moc Bai – Bavet – Phnom Penh– Poipet – Aranyaprathet – Kabin Buri – Hin Kong – Bang Pa-in (– Bangkok) – Nakhon Sawan – Tak – Mae Sot – Myawadi – Payagyi (– Yangon) – Meiktila – Mandalay – Tamu –Moreh – Imphal – Kohima – Dimapur – Nagaon – Jorabat (– Guwahati) – Shillong – Dawki –Tamabil – Sylhet – Katchpur – Dhaka – Jessore – Benapol – Bongaon – Kolkata – Barhi –Kanpur – Agra – New Delhi – Attari – Wahgah – Lahore – Rawalpindi (– Islamabad) –Hassanabdal – Peshawar – Torkham – Kabul – Kandahar – Dilaram – Herat – Islam Qala –Dogharun – Mashhad – Sabzevar – Damghan – Semnan –Tehran – Qazvin – Tabriz –Eyvoghli – Bazargan – Gurbulak – Dogubayazit – Askale – Refahiye – Sivas – Ankara –Gerede – Istanbul – Kapikule – Border of Bulgaria

AH2

Denpasar – Surabaya – Surakarta – Semarang – Cikampek (– Bandung) – Jakarta (– Merak) – ferry – Singapore – Senai Utara – Seremban – Kuala Lumpur – Butterworth –Bukit Kayu Hitam – Sa Dao – Hat Yai – Bangkok – Bang Pa-in – Nakhon Sawan – Tak –Chiang Rai – Mae Sai – Tachilek – Kyaing Tong – Meiktila – Mandalay – Tamu – Moreh –Imphal – Kohima – Dimapur – Nagaon – Jorabat (– Guwahati) – Shillong – Dawki – Tamabil– Sylhet – Katchpur – Dhaka – Hatikamrul – Banglabandha – Siliguri – Kakarbhitta –Pathlaiya – Narayanghat – Kohalpur – Mahendranagar – Bramhadev Mandi – Banbasa –Rampur – New Delhi – Attari – Wahgah – Lahore – Multan – Rohri – Quetta – Taftan –Mirjaveh – Zahedan – Kerman – Anar – Yazd – Salafchegan (– Tehran) – Saveh – Hamadan– Khosravi

Asian Highway routes within subregions, including those connecting to neighbouring subregions, and Asian Highway routes located within member States South-East Asia

AH14

Hai Phong – Ha Noi – Viet Tri – Lao Cai – Hekou – Kunming – Ruili – Muse – Lashio –Mandalay

South Asia

AH41

Border of Myanmar – Teknaf – Cox’s Bazar – Chittagong – Katchpur – Dhaka – Hatikamrul– Jessore – Mongla

Single-digit routes run across the whole continent: (Wiki)

10-29 and 100-299 are assigned to South-East Asia:

30-39 and 300-399 are assigned to East Asia and North-East Asia:

40-59 and 400-599 are assigned to South Asia:

60-89 and 600-899 are assigned to North Asia, Central Asia and South-West Asia:

 Source:

  1. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC. INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT ON THE ASIAN HIGHWAY NETWORK
  2.  Asian Highway Network From Wikipedia
  3. The Great Asian Highway By Rahul Kamat

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This entry was posted on July 5, 2011 at 12:51 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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