From Hardoi to Prayagraj, upcoming 594-km route to connect 12 districts, 518 villages

From Hardoi to Prayagraj, upcoming 594-km route to connect 12 districts, 518 villages

- Pawan Dixit

LUCKNOW: What started as an attempt to ensure faster road connectivity in the state with the launch of the 165.5 km-long Yamuna Expressway in August 2012 has now turned into a major web of urban motorways spanning 935 km that promises to take Uttar Pradesh's industrial development to new heights.

In December, the state will touch another milestone when it adds 594 km to its expressways' network with the likely launch of the Ganga Expressway—the longest one in the country's fourth-largest state.

The project will cover 12 districts and 518 villages. It spans 7,453.15 hectares and is being readied at a total cost of Rs 36,230 crore.

Starting in Meerut, it will pass through Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and before culminating in Prayagraj.

The six-lane expressway, which is expandable up to eight lanes, will have 19 toll plazas—including the two main ones at the start and the end.

The expressway covers 518 villages and includes extensive infrastructure development—14 major and 28 minor bridges, eight railway overbridges and 203 underpasses. Key engineering features also include a 960-meter-long bridge on the Ganga and another 720-meter-long bridge on the Ramganga.