UP expressways: Yogi’s highways of progress
6 min readThe sound of roadrollers, asphalt mixers, vans and the excitement of groups of labourers are sweeping throughout Uttar Pradesh, because the Yogi Adityanath authorities pushes the development of extra roads at a better tempo than ever earlier than. The unremitting concentrate on highway improvement clearly means it’s excessive on the agenda for the state authorities. Indeed, a veritable net of asphalt is quick threading by the state—some expressways, highways and connecting hyperlinks are prepared for a roll, others are approaching completion. Behind all of the frenetic exercise lies the popularity that roads are an important a part of infrastructure, and are important carriers of progress {that a} nation can’t do with out.
The sound of roadrollers, asphalt mixers, vans and the excitement of groups of labourers are sweeping throughout Uttar Pradesh, because the Yogi Adityanath authorities pushes the development of extra roads at a better tempo than ever earlier than. The unremitting concentrate on highway improvement clearly means it’s excessive on the agenda for the state authorities. Indeed, a veritable net of asphalt is quick threading by the state—some expressways, highways and connecting hyperlinks are prepared for a roll, others are approaching completion. Behind all of the frenetic exercise lies the popularity that roads are an important a part of infrastructure, and are important carriers of progress {that a} nation can’t do with out.
With the inauguration of the Bundelkhand expressway, UP received its sixth such operational artery. The state authorities claims that UP could have 12 expressways spanning over 3,000 km, greater than every other state. Of the 12, six are operational, whereas work is below approach on others. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 296 km lengthy expressway in Jalaun on July 16. Running between Chitrakoot and Etawah, it was accomplished eight months forward of schedule—a results of continuous monitoring by the CM himself in addition to prime officers of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), say authorities officers. The access-controlled (entry and exit are regulated) community is being developed by UPEIDA, the company set as much as steer the expressway growth programme in 2007.
When the BJP authorities got here to energy in 2017, UP had solely two main practical expressways, the Yamuna Expressway, connecting Agra to the National Capital Region, and the Agra-Lucknow Expressway. Of the 12 expressways now, the Yogi Adityanath authorities is focusing extra on the Purvanchal Expressway, the Bundelkhand Expressway and the Ganga Expressway, all UPEIDA tasks.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurates the undertaking in July within the presence of UP CM Yogi Adityanath; (PTI Photo)
Purvanchal Expressway, Gorakhpur Link
The 341-km lengthy Purvanchal Expressway, inaugurated by PM Modi in November 2021, is likely one of the greatest accomplished infrastructure tasks of the Uttar Pradesh authorities. The undertaking was introduced by then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav because the Lucknow-Azamgarh-Ballia Expressway in May 2015. Later, its route was modified to Lucknow-Azamgarh-Ghazipur by the BJP authorities. “The CM himself belongs to Purvanchal, he focused on its development as it’s a new lifeline for business in eastern UP,” says an official in Yogi’s workplace. It price an estimated Rs 22,496 crore. The six-lane expressway begins from Chandsarai village in Lucknow district on the Lucknow-Sultanpur highway and ends at Haidaria village on National Highway 31 in Ghazipur district. Travel time from Lucknow to Ghazipur has now halved: from seven hours to three-and-a-half hours. The districts of jap UP—particularly Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau and Ghazipur—would be the important beneficiaries. In the identical space, the under-construction Gorakhpur-link expressway will join Jaitpur village in Gorakhpur with Salarpur village on the Purvanchal Expressway in Azamgarh district, lowering journey time between Gorakhpur and Lucknow to a few hours from 5.
Bundelkhand Expressway
The Bundelkhand Expressway will join Chitrakoot within the Bundelkhand area with the Agra-Lucknow Expressway close to Etawah. It begins close to Bharatkoop on the Jhansi-Prayagraj National Highway 35 in Chitrakoot district. The undertaking has been accomplished in 28 months—eight months forward of its deadline, claims the federal government. The four-lane expressway, which may be expanded to 6 lanes, will cross by seven districts—Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah. Officials say the full price of the undertaking is estimated to be about Rs 15,000 crore. Significantly, the expressway will hyperlink the Bundelkhand space with New Delhi by the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and Yamuna Expressway. Chitrakoot is now simply 6.5 hours away from the nationwide capital. Earlier, it used to take 9-10 hours. For parched Bundelkhand, the undertaking may be an financial blessing too. The central authorities’s Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor has a node in Chitrakoot; the others are in Agra, Aligarh, Jhansi, Lucknow and Kanpur. CM Yogi Adityanath says, “The Bundelkhand Expressway will add a new dimension to the economy of the region and the rest of Uttar Pradesh. This vikas ka expressway will ensure seamless connectivity and open up new possibilities for the people of Bundelkhand.” With Chitrakoot inside attain of a doable longish drive, a lift to tourism is predicted. Anticipating this, the state tourism division was requested to arrange detailed plans, and has provide you with a package deal that showcases caves, forts, eco-tourism and journey sports activities. Sunil Kumar, professor, Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management at Bundelkhand University, says, “Bundelkhand is a bit unexplored in terms of tourism but it includes many heritage sites in Mahoba, Chitrakoot, Orcha and other places.”
Ganga Expressway
After its completion, the 594 km Ganga Expressway might rightfully be known as an ‘artery’. The proposed expressway will begin from NH 334 close to Bijauli village in Meerut district and terminate on NH 19, close to Judapur Dandu village in Prayagraj district. Once full, it might be the longest freeway within the state. The Uttar Pradesh cabinet met at Prayagraj, venue of the Kumbh Mela, and gave the go forward for the expressway in January 2019. The undertaking goals to assemble an access-controlled eight-lane expressway operating alongside the Ganga. It will cowl 12 districts—Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareilly, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj—and thus join east and west UP. The basis stone was laid by PM Modi in Shahjahanpur on December 18, 2021. The expressway can even hyperlink the northern districts in western UP with Meerut, which is linked to NCR by the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. The undertaking is predicted to be full by 2025.
Other notable highway tasks of Uttar Pradesh are inside the remit of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Among these, the Lucknow-Kanpur expressway undertaking is taken into account vital. According to N.N. Giri, undertaking director, NHAI (Lucknow zone), “Construction will start in October 2022 and will take two and a half years to complete. Travel time from Lucknow to Kanpur will be reduced to 45 minutes, from one and a half hours.”
According to Awanish Awasthi, additional chief secretary, house, and CEO of UPIEDA, “Expressways are the backbone of infrastructure and tourism development. The chief minister wanted us to connect districts in Purvanchal and Bundelkhand, which are considered backward, with the other parts of UP. We have done this through the Purvanchal and Bundelkhand expressways. Our next focus is the Ganga Expressway, through which we will connect east and west UP.”
Not simply development, the state authorities is specializing in higher monitoring of roads too. The state’s public works division (PWD) has finalised a plan for digitised mapping and upkeep of roads. The state PWD minister Jitin Prasada needs to make use of expertise for efficient monitoring, which might assist within the upkeep, of the state’s huge highway community of round 300,000 km. “We are focusing on GIS (global information system) mapping of all roads. Another step will be the digitisation of departmental records and making the data available through the Nigrani app. It will allow users to access details of all roads,” says Prasada.
However, not everyone seems to be rooting for the expressway drive. Former CM and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the federal government of dashing in to inaugurate “half-complete” expressways. “The hurried inauguration of the half-complete Bundelkhand Expressway shows that its design is chalaau (make-do),” he stated in a press release. “Even with the proximity of the defence corridor, the BJP government could not construct an airstrip like the one made on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway during the Samajwadi Party government,” he added.
Graphic by Asit Roy
