Route 606 (Afghanistan)

Route 606
Route information
Part of AH71
Length	218 km (135 mi)
Existed	2009–present
Major junctions
Southwest end	Iran (near Zaranj)
Northeast end	Delaram
Location
Country	Afghanistan
Highway system
Transport in Afghanistan

Route 606, also known as Delaram-Zaranj Highway, also officially designated as NH49,^[1] is a 218 km roadway^[2] in the Nimruz Province of Afghanistan connecting the Delaram District in Afghanistan to the border of Iran. The opposite way goes towards the south near Zaranj, Afghanistan. It is one of the busiest roads in Afghanistan^[2] and provides an important trade route between Iran and the rest of Asia. It was developed by India's Border Roads Organisation.

The Delaram–Zaranj Highway, also known as Route 606, is a 135-mile-long two-lane road in Afghanistan, connecting Zaranj in Nimruz Province, near the Iranian border, with Delaram in neighbouring Farah Province.^[3] It connects the Afghan–Iranian border with the Kandahar–Herat Highway in Delaram, which provides connectivity to other major Afghan cities via A01. Route 606 reduces travel time between Delaram and Zaranj from the earlier 12–14 hours to just 2 hours.

From Zaranj, the highway connects to Zabol across the border in Iran. Zabol is well-connected by road to the Port of Chabahar. The highway thus provides land-locked Afghanistan an alternative way to access the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, instead of relying solely on Pakistani routes. "The road is much shorter and more stable than any of the routes in Pakistan, making it perhaps the most efficient means of reaching Afghanistan."^[4]