CM Yogi directs officials to expedite completion of Ganga Expressway before Mahakumbh 2025

Lucknow: Preparing to give Uttar Pradesh another big gift before the upcoming Mahakumbh in 2025, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) to work on a war footing to complete India’s second longest expressway, the Ganga Expressway’, by the end of the year.

Currently, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of expressways in the country, with 6 in operation and 7 under construction. The most ambitious project is the Ganga Expressway with a proposed length of 594 kilometers. Ganga Expressway is the second in terms of length in the country after the longest the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway.

Notably, UP currently has four expressways that feature among the top 10 expressways in terms of length in India. Once Ganga Expressway becomes operational, the state will have five of the top 10 expressways in the country.

CM instructs officials to make the expressway operational by December 31, 2024

Recently, the Chief Minister, in a meeting with officials of the executing agency UPEIDA, has given directions to make the much-anticipated Ganga Expressway operational by the end of 2024 under any circumstances in view of the Mahakumbh in 2025.

Highway will pass through 518 villages of 12 districts

Connecting the state from east to west, this expressway will pass through 518 villages in 12 districts. After the opening of the expressway, the distance from Meerut to Prayagraj via Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli and Pratapgarh will be covered in just a few hours. Ganga Expressway will start from Bijauli village on Meerut-Bulandshahr (NH 334) and end near Judapur Dadu village on (NH 19) in Prayagraj. The expressway if being built on 7467 hectares of land at an estimated cost of Rs 36,230 crore.

Big planes will be able to land, two long bridges will be built on Ganga and Ramganga

The Ganga Expressway will initially have six lanes, with a proposal to later expand it to eight lanes. Its design allows for a speed of 120 kilometers per hour. Along the expressway, 9 public amenities complexes will be developed at various locations for public convenience. Main toll plazas are planned at two locations (Meerut and Prayagraj), while ramp toll plazas are proposed at 15 locations.

Additionally, two large bridges will be built over the Ganga River (960 meters) and the Ramganga River (720 meters). Furthermore, a 3.50-kilometer-long airstrip will be constructed near the Jalalabad tehsil in Shahjahanpur.

For the Ganga Expressway project, out of 153 clearances received from four major departments, 141 have been obtained. Of these, 44 out of 48 clearances have been obtained from NHAI/PWD, 7 out of 7 from Railways, 82 out of 88 from Irrigation Department and 8 out of 10 from Fuel Pipeline. Big companies like IRB Infrastructure and Adani Infrastructure are engaged in the construction of Ganga Expressway.