National Highway 6 & Economic Corridor 1 (EC1) (commonly referred to as NH6), 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 1949 km from Surat to Kolkata. The route was also known as Asian Highway 46 (AH46) & 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, Rajnandgaon, Durg, Raipur, Mahasamund, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Kharagpur, Kolkata.

New numbering

As of 2010 notification from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, old NH 6 has been renumbered as follows.

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 (Ghadge), District Wardha in Maharashtra.

Junctions

Asian Highway

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

Maharashtra

Chhattisgarh

Odisha

Deogarh - Balam - Barkote

Jharkhand

West Bengal

Widening & Shortening

To shorten distance of National Highway 6, 4 lane wide Tatanagar - Rourkela Expressway is planned. This 169 km long expressway will reduce travel time Kolkata & Sambalpur. Currently Kolkata to Sambalpur by road takes 12 hours 30 mins to cover 576 km. The Tatanagar - Rourkela Expressway will increase Kolkata to Sambalpur distance to 631 km, but will reduce 1 hour 15 minute travel time.

Trivia