Purvanchal Expressway will be better than Yamuna E-way. UP govt explains how

A day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the Purvanchal Expressway, the Uttar Pradesh government promised it will be better than the Yamuna Expressway, currently used by thousands to travel from Noida (in Delhi-NCR) to Agra.

The proposed 340km highway will be a boon for eastern Uttar Pradesh, bringing the remote areas of the region closer not only to the state capital but Delhi as well, a top UP government official said.

“This will provide additional connectivity to the state capital Lucknow. It will be beneficial to farmers too, who will be able to bring their produce directly to the state capital,” said Awanish K Awasthi, additional chief secretary (Home), Uttar Pradesh.

He also listed the features of the new proposed highway that makes it different from the Yamuna Expressway, which became operational in 2012.

“Purvanchal Expressway's median is wider by 1 metre than the Yamuna Expressway. It will have CNG stations too,” said Awasthi, who is also the chairman of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), state government's agency responsible for expansion of the expressway programme.

“The government is also planning to install charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) in the future and will invite bids for the same,” he further said, adding that the regular public utilities like petrol pump and public toilets etc have also been planned.

The government will also deploy cattle catching vehicles and ambulances (total 16) to cover the entire expressway, which will see regular patrolling by the police. It will also have industrial hubs on both sides, food processing units, handlooms and serve the planned defence corridor.

Once the other two signature projects of the Yogi Adityanath government — Bundelkhand and Ganga expressways — are complete, UP will have a network of 1,788km of expressways, the highest in the country.

Navneet Sehgal, additional chief secretary (Information), added that the total cost of the Purvanchal Expressway — ₹22,000 crore — has been borne by the state government and there is no central assistance. "We have taken loans from the banks," the IAS officer said.

He added that the Purvanchal expressway will be connected to the Yamuna Expressway through an Outer Ring Road that is being planned.

The Purvanchal Expressway originates from Chandsarai village near the Lucknow-Sultanpur highway. It passes through nine districts Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Ambedkarnagar, Azamgarh, Mau and Ghazipur. It terminates at Haldaria village in Ghazipur district. The six-lane expressway will be expandable up to eight lanes. Once it is opened to the public, the travel time from Lucknow to Ghazipur will be reduced from six hours to 3.5 hours.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has termed the Purvanchal Expressway a highway of development.