National Highway 6 (India, old numbering)


National Highway 6 & Economic Corridor 1 , was a National Highway in India that has been separately designated under the new national highway numbering system. It was officially listed as running over from Surat to Kolkata. The route was also known as Asian Highway 46 & Mumbai - Kolkata Highway and Great Eastern Highway.
NH6 ran through Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal state in India. The highway passed through the cities of Surat, Dhule, Jalgaon, Bhusaval, Khamgaon, Akola, Amravati, Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Amgaon, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Durg, Raipur, Mahasamund, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Kharagpur, Kolkata.

History

Historically, the route from Bangriposi to Gopiballavpur via Baripada was constructed before the 18th century by James Rennell Sahib in 1776. It is still known as Old Kolkata-Mumbai Road prior to 1999 period & it used to go via Kharagpur, Jhargram, Chilkigarh, Chichra, Gopiballavpur, Kandnashol, Murgabadi, near Baripada, Bhajpur Chowk in Bhanjpur, Gangraj, Kalabadia, Pathuri to Bangriposi. In 1999-2002 period, the long Baharagora-Bangriposi Highway via Jharpokharia was constructed & the traffic of Old Mumbai Road shifted on that new stretch. Then Old Mumbai Road lost it's importance & NH-6 became an important route.

New numbering

As of 2010 notification from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, old NH 6 has been renumbered as follows.
  • Hajira - Pal Lahara section is part of new National Highway No. 53
  • Deogarh - Kharagpur section is part of new National Highway No. 49
  • Kharagpur - Kolaghat - Kolkata section is part of new National Highway No. 16
  • Rajnandgaon - Nagpur Stretch is diverted & Dongargarh & Gondia now doesn't fall on NH53.

    Ghat Sections

This route is One of the incomplete Highways of India due to presence of numerous ghat sections between Bangriposi & Sambalpur, crossing mountain & hill ranges of Odisha, Ghats Between Nagpur To Amravati Near Talegaon Village, Karanja, District Wardha in Maharashtra.
This highway crossed the AH47 at Dhule and Asian Highway 43 at Nagpur.

States, districts, cities, towns and villages connected

Many cities and towns in various districts in the States of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal were connected by National Highway 6.

[Gujarat]

Deogarh - Balam - Barkote
  • Angul District
  • *Pal Lahara
  • Kendujhargarh District
  • * Govindpur - Kuanr - Kendujhargarh
  • Mayurbhanj District
  • *Jashipur - Manda - Bangriposi - Jharpokharia

    [Jharkhand]

  • East Singhbhum District
  • *Baharagora

    [West Bengal]

  • Paschim Medinipur District
  • *Jhargram - Kharagpur - Debra
  • Purba Medinipur District
  • *Panskura - Kolaghat
  • Howrah District
  • *Samta - Bagnan - Uluberia - Panchla - Mahiari - Jagacha - Howrah
  • Kolkata District
  • *Kolkata

    Widening and shortening

To shorten distance of National Highway 6, 4 lane wide Tatanagar - Rourkela Expressway is planned. This long expressway will reduce travel time Kolkata & Sambalpur. Currently Kolkata to Sambalpur by road takes 12 hours 30 mins to cover. The Tatanagar - Rourkela Expressway will increase Kolkata to Sambalpur distance to, but will reduce 1 hour 15 minute travel time.

Trivia

  • The stretch between Barkote and Pal Lahara was common between NH6 and NH 23
  • NH 200 crossed NH6 at two locations: one at its starting point at Raipur and second at Deogarh
  • Deogarh-Palasama-Budhapal-Angul Road was originally part of NH53. But pressure from politics made Deogarh Reamal-Rengali Dam Road part of NH53 now.
  • Tileibani-Pallahara section is combined with both NH49 & NH53.
  • This Highways runs through 10 major forests & Wildlife sanctuaries.
  • Accident involving Elephants & other Wildlife with Vehicles are notoriously common in Forest & Ghat sections.