The 341-kilometer Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur district, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated on Tuesday, is one of the state’s most significant completed infrastructure projects. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the airport today aboard a C-130 Hercules jet for his inauguration. The unveiling comes nearly three years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in Azamgarh in July of last year.
The infrastructure project, which cost an estimated Rs 22,496 crore and was finished by the Uttar Pradesh government, has been dubbed the “carrier of progress” for the poor Purvanchal region. The expressway runs from Chandsarai village in Lucknow’s district, on the Lucknow-Sultanpur Road, to Haidaria village in Ghazipur’s district, on National Highway 31. It is now a six-lane highway with the potential to be enlarged to an eight-lane motorway in the future.
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The 341-kilometer road would cut the time it takes to drive from Lucknow to Buxar, Bihar, in half, from seven to almost four hours. The journey time from Lucknow to Ghazipur would be reduced from 6 to 3.5 hours once it is available. It connects the National Capital Region and eastern Uttar Pradesh, practically to the Bihar border. Noida is connected to Agra by the Yamuna Expressway, while the Lucknow-Agra Expressway leads to the state capital. Around 18 kilometers from the UP-Bihar border, the Purvanchal Expressway would come to an end.
The Purvanchal Expressway, which is expected to cost over Rs 22,500 crore, would enhance the economic growth of eastern Uttar Pradesh, particularly the districts of Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau, and Ghazipur, according to a government statement. The highway that runs through Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau, and Ghazipur has 18 flyovers, seven railways over bridges, seven long bridges, 104 minor bridges, 13 interchanges, and 271 underpasses.
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The government has created land banks along the expressway, and the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority has been permitted to build industrial centers. The Purvanchal Expressway, according to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, would be the backbone of the state’s eastern economy.
