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 (clockwise): 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 (Route 606), 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.
Part of National Highway 1 has been refurbished in late 2003, particularly the KabulâÂÂKandahar 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 KabulâÂÂKandahar Highway was completely worn out. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan with its own funds recently rebuilt the highway.
The KabulâÂÂKandahar Highway (NH0101) 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 KabulâÂÂKandahar 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.
National Highway 01 between Kandahar and Herat consists of two sections, NH0101, between Kandahar and Delaram, and NH0102, between Delaram and Herat.
Latest repair work on the HeratâÂÂBadghis Road was completed in December 2025.
National Highway 8 (NH08) runs from Jalalabad to Kabul, following the Tang-e Gharu gorge, parallel to the Kabul River, for . The two-lane Kabul Gorge highway runs along cliffs. Fatal traffic accidents occur in this area, mainly due to reckless driving.