Afghanistan Ring Road
National Highway 01 or NH01, formally called the Ring Road, is a two-lane and in some areas a four-lane road network circulating inside Afghanistan, connecting the following cities in Afghanistan|cities] : Kabul, Maidan Shar, Ghazni, Qalat, Kandahar, Delaram, Herat, Qala e Naw, Maymana, Andkhoy, Sheberghan, Mazar-i-Sharif, Puli Khumri, Charikar, and back to Kabul. It has extensions that connect Jalalabad, Bamyan, Khost, Spin Boldak, Lashkargah, Zaranj, Farah, Islam Qala, Torghundi, Ymamnazar, Hairatan, Kunduz, and Fayzabad. The Ring Road is part of AH1, the longest route of the Asian Highway Network. National Highway 01 consists of four major sections, NH0101 to NH0104, linking the major economic centers.
History
Part of National Highway 1 has been refurbished in late 2003, particularly the Kabul–Kandahar Highway. The repair project was funded by the United States, Saudi Arabia and Japan. In addition to Afghans, several foreign workers from Turkey and India were involved in the project. Japanese also assisted with the project near the southern Afghan province of Kandahar. About two decades later, the Kabul–Kandahar Highway was completely worn out. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan with its own funds recently rebuilt the highway.Sections
Kabul to Kandahar
The Kabul–Kandahar Highway is a section of National Highway 01 linking two of Afghanistan's largest cities, Kabul and Kandahar. This highway is a key portion of the Ring Road. Approximately 35 percent of Afghanistan's population lives within of the Kabul to Kandahar portion of the Ring Road.The Kabul–Kandahar highway underwent some repairs. Phase one of paving was completed in December 2003 and the highway was opened to traffic. However, the road has badly deteriorated since that time. It was recently rebuilt by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.