India's second longest 'Ganga Expressway' underway; length of 594 kms with 8 lanes

India's second-longest expressway, Ganga Expressway has been confirmed while the project is set to commence by September this year, marking another expressway in Uttar Pradesh. The route will connect the western part of the state to eastern Uttar Pradesh. The ₹36,000 crore project is expected to conclude within the next 26 months. 

While the length that is proposed is 594 km, the Ganga Expressway will start at Bijauli village in Meerut district and end at Judapur Dandu village in Prayagraj. The state government has confirmed that more than 80 per cent of the land to be utilised under India's second-longest expressway project has been acquired.

India's second-longest expressway in progress

In India, Expressways are the highest class of roads that bridge gaps intra/inter States. The National Expressways Authority or State Highway of India (NHAI) or state governments operating under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways are generally responsible for the construction and maintenance of expressways. While it can be transferred over to a corporate entity under concession agreement on a 'build- operate-maintenance-transfer' basis.

The Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority informed that the Ganga Expressway project has been divided into 12 packages to ensure work is completed in the estimated time. They assured thorough and regular review of progress. Following are few features one knows of the Ganga Expressway [GE] :

• GE is set to pass through 12 districts in UP, including Meerut (15 kms), Hapur (33 kms), Bulandshahr (11kms), Amroha (26 kms), Sambhal (39 kms), Badaun (92kms), Shahjahanpur (40 kms), Hardoi (99 kms), Unnao (105 kms), Rae Bareli (77 kms), Pratapgarh (41 kms) and Prayagraj (16 kms). Around 520 villages will be en route the expressway.
• While the authorities have proposed that GE will have six lanes, the class of roads can be extended to eight lanes. The speed of vehicles running on GE has been capped at 120kmph. This is similar to other UP expressways.
• GE is expected to reduce the duration between Delhi and Prayagraj from 10-12 hours to easy 6-7 hours.
• The expressway will be constructed to bridge about a kilometre along the river Ganga and another 720 mts long bridge over river Ramganga. In all, 114 major bridges and 8 flyovers with 15 ramp toll plazas, inter alia, have been proposed under the GE project.

Indian Air Force will utilise an airstrip developed on the Ganga Expressway in Sultanpur District for their purposes. Interestingly, to check and safeguard movement of stray cattle and locals, a precast concrete boundary wall is set to be constructed along the expressway.