One of the India’s longest expressways, Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh, is nearing its completion. According to sources, the expressway work will be completed by the year-end, much ahead of the planned deadline of April 2021. The project worth Rs 22,500 crore began in July 2018, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in Azamgarh. It is reported that 80 per cent of the earthwork has been done and 48 per cent of the physical work has been done. Around 5,500 people are working at full throttle to complete the work. The Purvanchal Expressway originates from Lucknow’s Chand Sarai and goes to Haidaria in Ghazipur at the UP-Bihar border. The expressway will connect nine districts of eastern UP that are predominantly agricultural with the state capital Lucknow. It passes through Azamgarh, Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Ambedkarnagar, Ghazipur and Mau.
The 341-km six-lane (expandable to eight lanes) access-controlled expressway from Chand Sarai in Lucknow district to Haidaria in Ghazipur district, being built on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis, will not only provide the nine predominantly agricultural districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh seamless connectivity to state capital Lucknow, but also link them to National Capital Delhi via the 302-km Agra-Lucknow Expressway and the 165-km Agra-Greater Noida Yamuna Expressway. It is likely to enhance tourism in UP and boost agriculture, industrial and commercial activities. The Expressway is expected to attract investment in food processing, warehousing, handloom, dairy, etc. The completion of the Expressway is expected to save time, control pollution, save fuel and reduce the number of accidents.