Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has earmarked Rs 18,400 crore for expressway development in the supplementary budget, giving a major boost to the state’s road connectivity plans. Along with building new expressways, the government aims to connect existing road corridors into an integrated network to improve travel between eastern, western, and southern parts of the state. The budget is expected to speed up projects such as the Vindhya Expressway, Ganga Expressway expansion, Vindhya-Purvanchal Link Expressway, Jewar Airport connectivity, and other important infrastructure works.
Which project will cost the most?
Vindhya Expressway has the largest share in the budget. Rs 6,580 crore has been earmarked for this project. This approximately 333-kilometer-long expressway will connect districts like Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Chandauli and Sonbhadra. The Vindhya region, long considered relatively less developed, will directly benefit from the high-speed road network for the first time. The government believes that this will also promote industrial investment, mining activities and tourism.
What will the expansion of Ganga Expressway change?
Now preparations are on to take the Ganga Expressway being built from Meerut to Prayagraj to Haridwar. A provision of Rs 5,780 crore has been made for this. The proposed extension will reach Haridwar via Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and Roorkee. This will provide relief to travelers traveling to Uttarakhand, while religious tourism from Western Uttar Pradesh and NCR is also likely to get a new impetus.
Why is Link Expressway the priority of the government?
The government is now emphasising connecting different expressways. Under this strategy, Rs 2,380 crore has been allocated for Vindhya-Purvanchal Link Expressway. This approximately 117-kilometre-long route will connect Sonbhadra and Chandauli with Purvanchal Expressway near Ghazipur. This will establish faster road connectivity between Purvanchal and Vindhya region and is also expected to reduce the cost of freight transportation.
What will Jewar Airport and the agriculture sector get?
Rs 250 crore has been given to connect Noida International Airport (Jewar) with Ganga Expressway. After the construction of this link, direct access to the airport will be easy from many districts of Western Uttar Pradesh. Rs 400 crore has been kept for the Farrukhabad Greenfield Link Expressway. This project will connect agricultural areas like Hardoi and Farrukhabad to Agra-Lucknow and Ganga Expressway, thereby reducing both time and cost in transportation of agricultural products.
Will there be a focus on industrial development also?
Along with road projects, the government has also paid attention to industrial infrastructure. A provision of Rs 200 crore has been made for the industrial corridor to be developed along the expressway and Rs 100 crore for the proposed Chilla Regulator elevated flyover between Delhi and Noida. The government believes that better connectivity will provide new locations to industries, increase investment, and also create employment opportunities. In the coming years, Uttar Pradesh’s expressway network may become one of the largest and most connected road networks in the country.
