When Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the newly built 594-kilometre-long Ganga Expressway in Hardoi on Wednesday, the total length of operational expressway projects in the state will reach 1,910 kilometres. With this, Uttar Pradesh will account for more than 60 percent of the country’s total expressway network. From April 29, the Ganga Expressway—stretching from Meerut to Prayagraj and the largest in the state—will become part of this growing network. Additionally, the under-construction Lucknow–Kanpur Expressway is also expected to be inaugurated in May.
Total Expressway Length & Construction Authorities
After operations begin, the total length of expressways in Uttar Pradesh will increase to 1,973 km. The Lucknow–Kanpur Expressway is being built by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), while most other expressways in the state have been developed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority.
Ganga Expressway Timeline & Design
The Ganga Expressway is a major project of the state government. Its foundation stone was laid by Narendra Modi on December 18, 2021. After land acquisition and finalizing the design, construction began in November 2022 by UPEIDA. It is a six-lane, access-controlled greenfield expressway, designed in a way that it can be expanded to eight lanes in the future.
Route, Cost & Benefits
This expressway passes through 519 villages across 12 districts—Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh, and Prayagraj. The total cost of construction is Rs 36,230 crore. It will directly connect western Uttar Pradesh with the eastern region, boosting industrial development, trade, and making travel easier for people.
Future Expansion Plan (By 2029)
UPEIDA has started work on 11 new expressways and link expressway projects as per government instructions, and land acquisition is currently underway. The target is to complete land acquisition within this year. By 2029, once these projects are completed, the total expressway network in the state will expand from around 1,910 km to 3,200 km.
Existing Network & Key Infrastructure Features
Currently, major operational expressways in the state include Yamuna (165 km), Agra–Lucknow (302 km), Purvanchal (341 km), Bundelkhand (296 km), Gorakhpur Link (91 km), Noida–Greater Noida (25 km), and Delhi–Meerut (96 km), totaling 1,316 km. The Ganga Expressway (Meerut to Prayagraj) includes strong infrastructure to ensure smooth traffic flow: 14 major bridges, 165 small bridges, 32 flyovers, 7 railway overbridges, 453 vehicle underpasses, 795 culverts, 17 interchanges, a 3.5 km airstrip, 9 public facility centers, 19 ramp toll plazas, and 2 main toll plazas at Meerut and Prayagraj.
Source: News24
