
Old National Highway 2 or Old NH 2, (currently
National Highway 19) was a major
National Highway in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, that connected the states of
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
,
Haryana
Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...
,
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
,
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
,
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...
and
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
. It constitutes a major portion of the historical
Grand Trunk Road along with old NH 91 and
old NH 1 in India. The highway connects national capital
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
with
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
as well as important cities such as
Faridabad
Faridabad () is the most populous List of cities in Haryana by population, city near NCT of Delhi in the Indian state of Haryana and a part of National Capital Region (India), Delhi National Capital Region. It is one of the major satellite citie ...
,
Mathura,
Agra
Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...
,
Kanpur
Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...
,
Allahabad
Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...
,
Varanasi
Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...
,
Dhanbad,
Asansol,
Durgapur and
Bardhaman.
Renumbering
This NH has been renumbered as
NH 19 and
NH 44 after
renumbering of all national highways by
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in 2010 and the old NH 2 number has ceased to exist. Now Delhi to Agra stretch is part of NH 44 and Agra to Kolkata stretch is NH 19.
Route and length
The road was the part of National Highway network of India, and it is officially listed as running over 1,465 km. The kilometer counts in each of the states were Delhi (12), Haryana (74), Uttar Pradesh (752), Bihar (202), Jharkhand (190), West Bengal (235).
In Haryana
NH 2 entered Haryana through Badarpur border at
Delhi Faridabad Skyway in
Faridabad
Faridabad () is the most populous List of cities in Haryana by population, city near NCT of Delhi in the Indian state of Haryana and a part of National Capital Region (India), Delhi National Capital Region. It is one of the major satellite citie ...
. It ran parallel to the Faridabad corridor of
Delhi Metro and passed through
Palwal before entering
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
.
In Uttar Pradesh

(West–east alignment)
The National Highway 2 entered Uttar Pradesh from
Haryana
Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...
in
Mathura district, and a part of it is known as
Mathura Road. Before
Mathura it covers
Palwal and
Faridabad
Faridabad () is the most populous List of cities in Haryana by population, city near NCT of Delhi in the Indian state of Haryana and a part of National Capital Region (India), Delhi National Capital Region. It is one of the major satellite citie ...
city in
Haryana
Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...
. After Mathura it reaches
Agra
Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...
which is about In Agra it covers about . After leaving Agra it enters in
Firozabad district and then
Etawah where 15 km bypass of city is made. After leaving
Etawah it enters
Kanpur
Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...
city where a and 12 lane
Kanpur over-bridge has been built which is also one of the largest over-bridges in the
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
. In
Kanpur
Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...
it covers industrial belts (
Akbarpur-
Maharajpur) around and then it reaches
Fatehpur District and covers area of Fatehpur, then it reaches
Allahabad
Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...
via Kaushambi and covers in city then reaches
Varanasi
Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...
-
Mughalsarai
Mughalsarai (; English language, English: ''Mughal tribe, Mughal Tavern''), officially known as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar, is a city and a municipal board in the Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh. Located around from Chandauli town ...
covers and thus leaves U.P. This national highway has given a new life to public transport in Northern India. The overbridges built in
Agra
Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...
,
Kanpur
Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...
,
Fatehpur and
Allahabad
Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...
have reduced city traffic problems.
Allahabad Bypass Expressway is also the country's longest bypass section.
In Bihar
(West–east alignment)
The Bihar stretch of NH 2 starts from the bridge on the
Karmanasa River that forms the border with Uttar Pradesh.
NH 2 runs for 202 km in the state and then enters Jharkhand, between
Dobhi and
Chauparan, around Barachatti. In between it passes through
Kaimur district.
Mohania is the first major city on it. Also
NH 30 is connected to In the city and leads to Patna city. The next city is
Sasaram where there is the tomb of Great Emperor
Sher Shah Suri. At
Dehri- on-Son it crosses the wide expanse of the
Son River over the Jawahar Setu. At
Dobhi it meets the road to
Gaya and Patna (
NH 83).
NH 98 from Patna to
Daltonganj crosses NH 2 at Aurangabad.
In Jharkhand
(East–west alignment)
The Jharkhand stretch of NH 2 extends from the bridge on the
Barakar River on the Asansol-Nirsa bypass to around Barachatti, and runs for . Immediately after crossing into Jharkhand from West Bengal, NH2 meets the junction with the road on the north leading to
Maithon and the road on the south leading to
Panchet. NH 2 returns to old Grand Trunk Road at Nirsa. At Gobindpur NH 2 meets
NH 32 leading to
Dhanbad and
Jamshedpur
Jamshedpur (; ), also known as Tatanagar, is a major industrial city in eastern India. It is the List of cities in Jharkhand by population, largest city in the state of Jharkhand. With a population of 629,658 in the city limits and 1.3 million ...
. At
Topchanchi there is a picturesque lake, off NH2. Thereafter for a long stretch up to
Isri the massive
Parasnath Hills /
Shikharji dominates on the northern side of NH 2. At
Dumri, the road on the north leads to Madhuban and
Giridih. The next important junction is
Bagodar where
NH 100 meets NH2. There is a road leading to
Hazaribagh Road station. At
Barhi is the crossing with
NH31 and
NH33. Between
Chauparan and
Dobhi, around Barachatti, NH 2 crosses over to
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
. Much of the Jharkhand sector of NH 2 passes through an undulating area on
Koderma plateau.
In West Bengal
(East–west alignment)
The
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
end of NH 2 starts or terminates at
Dankuni in the outskirts of
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
. There is a stretch to the
Nivedita Bridge, and thereafter
Belghoria Expressway links it to Barrackpur Trunk Road, and Jessore Road/
NH 34. Alternatively, Kolkata bound traffic takes the
NH 6 at Dankuni and then follows the
Kona Expressway/NH 117 and
Vidyasagar Setu to enter Kolkata.
The four–lane West Bengal portion of NH 2 stretches from
Barakar to
Dankuni and the entire stretch is complete. The Dankuni-
Palsit stretch is also known as Durgapur Expressway. From Palsit to the outskirts of
Asansol it follows the old
Grand Trunk Road bypassing such towns as
Saktigarh,
Bardhaman and
Raniganj but passes through
Durgapur and
Andal
Andal (ISO 15919: Āṇḍāḷ), also known as Godhai, Nachiyar, and Godha Devi, is the only female Alvars, Alvar. (Orthodoxy posits the number of Alvars as ten, though there are other references that include Andal and Madhurakavi Alvar, ...
. The Palsit–Panagarh stretch is and the Panagarh–Raniganj stretch is . At Panagarh Darjeeling Mor NH 2 meets
Panagarh–Morgram Highway. In the outskirts of Asansol NH 2 leaves Grand Trunk Road. The latter passes through crowded areas of Asansol,
Neamatpur,
Kulti and
Barakar in West Bengal and
Chirkunda and Kumardhubi in
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...
. A bypass links the outskirts of Asansol with
Nirsa, where the NH 2 gets back to Grand Trunk Road. The Raniganj–Barakar stretch is . The widened Panagarh–
Dhanbad stretch was thrown open to traffic in 2001.
Construction cost of the Panagarh–Dankuni section was 178 million US dollars. The entire stretch in West Bengal happens to be a toll zone. There are toll plazas at three places: Asansol, Palsit and Dankuni. Asansol toll plaza is now closed. Also a toll plaza is there at Banskopa near Durgapur.And a new toll booth has been established at Maithon More in Jharkhand, just a few kilometres after crossing the bridge on Barakar River. According to the NHAI's statistical record, in 2008 everyday about 850,000 to 900,000 vehicles plied between Barakar and Dankuni. The gross toll collection amounted to Rs 2,500,000 per day. Large number of buses ply along NH 2. South Bengal State Transport Corporation operates 47 buses between Durgapur and Kolkata alone. In 2008 South Bengal State Transport Corporation has started bus services between Burdwan and Kolkata.Both AC and non AC buses are available. There are around 50 buses. In 2011 Royal Express AC bus service was started between Burdwan and Kolkata.
National Highways Development Project
*Almost all of the stretch of NH 2 has been selected as a part of the
Golden Quadrilateral by the
National Highways Development Project.
[ National Highways-Source-National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)]
*Approximately stretch of NH 2 between
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
and
Agra
Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...
has been selected as a part of the
North-South Corridor by the
National Highways Development Project.
*Approximately stretch of NH 2 between Barah and
Kanpur
Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...
has been selected as a part of the
East-West Corridor by the
National Highways Development Project.
* Six Laning of 180 Km long Delhi-Agra stretch of NH-2 under NHDP phase-V by NHAI through its concessionaire
Reliance Infrastructure
See also
*
List of national highways in India
*
National Highways Development Project
References
External links
Old NH 2 on OpenStreetMap
{{Indian Highways Network
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
National highways in India (old numbering)
Transport in Delhi
Transport in Kolkata