The Purvanchal Expressway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Kanwal Kheri in Sultanpur district in Uttar Pradesh on November 16, 2021. What’s significant about it? Let’s find out.
Six-lane expressway
The Purvanchal Expressway, at nearly 341 km in length, is at present the longest expressway in India. (An expressway is a wide road designed for high-speed traffic, usually having limited points of access or exit)
The Purvanchal Expressway is a six-lane access-controlled expressway that starts at Chand Sarai village located on Lucknow-Sultanpur road (National Highway 731) and ends at Hydaria village located on National Highway 31 in Ghazipur, 18 km east of the UP-Bihar border. This six-lane road can be expanded to eight lanes in the future.
Boost economic development
The expressway is expected to give a boost to the economic development of the eastern parts of UP. It connects as many as nine districts in the State-Lucknow (State capital), Barabanki, Amethi, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau, and Ghazipur. Not just that, it establishes a direct road link between these districts and the national capital Delhi. The Expressway will reduce the travel time between Lucknow and Ghazipur by half-from 12 to six hours. It is expected to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The Expressway has seven major bridges, 22 flyovers, 45 vehicular underpasses, toll plazas, and a 3. 3.2-km airstrip that would enable emergency landing and make-off of take-off f the IAF fighter planes.
The foundation stone for the Purvanchal Expressway was laid by PM Modi in July 2018 and the infrastructure project took three years to complete. Constructed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority at a cost of about Rs 22.500 crore, the Purvanchal Expressway is dubbed the ‘carrier of development for the Purvanchal region.
Picture Credit : Google
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