Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 16, 2021, inaugurated the Purvanchal Expressway, an infrastructure project that has been termed as ‘the spine of the economy of the eastern Uttar Pradesh’ by state chief minister Yogi Adityanath. The development comes nearly three years after Modi laid the foundation stone for the Purvanchal Expressway in Azamgarh in July 2018.
Billed as the ‘carrier of development’ for the underdeveloped eastern region of UP, Purvanchal Expressway is one of the biggest infrastructure project completed by the CM-Yogi-led Uttar Pradesh government.
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Purvanchal Expressway: Project highlightsImplementation: In 8 packages Starting point: Village Chand Sarai, located at Lucknow-Sultanpur Road (NH-731) district Lucknow. Ending point: Near village Hydaria on National Highway No.-19, before 18 km of UP-Bihar border, in district Ghazipur. Total length: 340.824 km Project Cost: Rs 22,494.66 crore (including the cost of land) Districts covered: Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau, Ghazipur Width: Six-Lane wide, expandable to 6 lane (15 m on each side, total 30 m with median of 5.50 m.) Width of right of way (ROW): 120-m wide land corridor Service Road: 3.75-m black top in a staggered manner on either side of expressway to facilitate easy movement for the inhabitants of adjacent villages, total length 402 km. Airstrip: 3.20-km long and 34-m wide Fuel stations: 8 CNG stations: 4 Tree plantations: 4.50 lakh Rainwater Harvesting: RWH pits constructed as required by geological conditions in the ROW at every 500 m. Lighting: Lighting at interchanges, flyovers, major bridges, minor bridges and underpasses with solar backup Design speed: 120 km/hr; speed Limit fixed at 100 km/hr Toilet blocks: 8 Ambulances: 16 in each package Launch year: October 2015 Opening deadline: October 2021 Owner-operator: Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) Project model: Engineering, procurement and construction |
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Purvanchal Expressway: Key facts
| Purvanchal Expressway starting point | Chand Sarai village in Lucknow |
| Purvanchal Expressway end point | Haidaria in Ghazipur |
| Purvanchal Expressway length | 343 kms |
| Purvanchal Expressway mode of implementation | PPP |
| Purvanchal Expressway inauguration | November 16, 2021 |
| Purvanchal Expressway project cost | Rs 22,494.66 crore, including the cost of land |
Purvanchal Expressway route 2024
- Lucknow
- Barabanki
- Sultanpur
- Ayodhya
- Ambedkar Nagar
- Azamgarh
- Mau
- Ghazipur
If connectivity networks are telling signs of a state’s economic progress, the Uttar Pradesh government has been taking significant efforts to upgrade its road networks. The Purvanchal Expressway is a case in point. The route of Purvanchal Expressway includes key cities in eastern UP. The Purvanchal Expressway route is meant to provide the under-developed cities in India’s most populous state an economic boost through better connectivity. Apart from Lucknow and possibly Barabanki, all other cities on the Purvanchal Expressway route are under-developed cities.
Meanwhile, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is also considering the possibility of extending the length of Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh from Buxar to Bhagalpur in Bihar. The NHAI has been asked to submit a possible alignment of the project along with feasibility to the Bihar’s road construction department.
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Purvanchal Expressway route map 2024
(Source: UPEIDA)
Check out this Purvanchal Expressway map to know more about the connectivity net.
The Purvanchal Expressway route has established a direct link between Delhi and eastern UP while also linking it to the Bihar border. The 343-km highway starts at Chand Saray village in Lucknow, located on the Lucknow-Sultanpur road (NH-731) and terminates at Ghazipur’s Haidaria village, located on the NH31. In the middle, the Purvanchal expressway route also has Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Ambedkarnagar and Mau. In effect, the Purvanchal expressway connects nine districts in UP. It will also be connected with other cities of religious importance like Varanasi, Ayodhya and Gorakhpur through link roads.
With the opening of Uttar Pradesh’s longest expressway project, cities in the underdeveloped eastern part of UP, would get a direct connection with state capital Lucknow. The expressway will not only reduce the travel time between Ghazipur to Lucknow by half – from 12 to six hours – but also provide direct connectivity from these cities to the national capital. Once completed, it would be only a 10-hour drive from Ghazipur to Delhi.
Recall here that Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow is already directly connected with Delhi through the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, the Yamuna Expressway and the Agra-Lucknow Expressway. A proposal is also in the works, to expand the Purvanchal Expressway route and to connect it with Bihar from Ghazipur.
See also: All you need to know about the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway
Purvanchal Expressway constructions
Purvanchal Expressway construction status
In October 2015, the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh relaunched the previous government’s Lucknow-Azamgarh-Ballia Expressway as the Purvanchal Expressway. In July 2018, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the expressway in Azamgarh. Developed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), the six-lane access-controlled Purvanchal Expressway was earlier expected to be completed by March 2021. However, the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic, which forced Uttar Pradesh to introduce fragmented lockdowns, delayed the works.
See also: Eastern peripheral expressway
Purvanchal Expressway: Benefits
The Purvanchal Expressway is an important step towards the goal of five trillion-dollar national economy envisaged by the prime minister.
Employment generation
Over 60,00,000 man-days created in the construction of the Purvanchal Expressway. Opportunities will also be available for the establishment of industrial training institutes, educational and training institutes, medical institutes, etc., near the expressway.
Connectivity boost
With the construction of the expressway, the eastern region of the state will be connected to the state capital and through the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and Yamuna Expressway, the corridor of fast and easy traffic from the capital of the country.
Boost to tourism
The construction of the expressway will give impetus to the development of tourism in the project-covered areas and all-round development of these eastern areas.
Boost for industries
The expressway will act as a catalyst for setting up of handloom industry, food processing units, storage plants, mandi and milk-based industries.
Impact on pollution control
Significant savings in fuel consumption of vehicles and pollution control will also be made possible.
Boost to agri sector
Along with the social and economic development of the areas covered by the project, the income of agriculture and commerce will be boosted.
Boost to businesses
It will be helpful as an industrial corridor to connect various production units, development centres and agricultural production areas located in the areas covered by the expressway with the state capital and the national capital.
Purvanchal Expressway significance
The Purvanchal Expressway is one of the four six-lane access-controlled expressways (the Bundelkhand Expressway, the Gorakhpur Link Expressway and the Ganga Expressway being the other three) that are likely to remarkably transform Uttar Pradesh, making it the state with the largest expressway network in India. Upon completion of these four expressway projects, Uttar Pradesh will boast of 1,788 kms of expressways, the highest in the country.
The Purvanchal Expressway is going to give a boost to the economic development of eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, especially the districts of Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau and Ghazipur. This is also evident from the fact that CM Adityanath has said that eight industrial hubs will be established along the Purvanchal Expressway.
See also: Upcoming expressways in India
Purvanchal Expressway construction cost
Estimated to cost Rs 22,496 crore, the Purvanchal Expressway not only connects several central districts of the state with the eastern ones but also places these districts in a direct road connectivity network leading to the national capital Delhi. The expressway, with seven bridges and 22 flyovers, also boasts an airstrip that would allow emergency landing of flights.
Purvanchal Expressway: Toll rates in 2024
Starting April 1, 2023, toll rates have been increased between 0.1% and 2.9% to travel on the Purvanchal Expressway. Find below the toll rate list, effective since April 1, 2023:
| Vehicle type | Toll rate in 2024 |
|
Cars, jeeps, vans, other lightweight vehicles |
Rs 675 |
| Light commercial vehicle, minibus | Rs 1,065 |
| Bus, truck | Rs 2,145 |
| Multi-axle vehicles (MAV) (3 to 6 axles), heavy construction machinery, geo-moving equipment | Rs 3,285 |
| Vehicles with 7 or more axles | Rs 4,185 |
Latest news
Over 1 lakh types of plants to adorn both sides of Purvanchal Expressway
March 5, 2024: To increase greenery along the Purvanchal Expressway, the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority has given permission to the forest department to plant saplings along the service lanes. The digging of pits by the department has also intensified. About 1.50 lakh saplings of different species will be planted from Mau to Ambedkar Nagar border. Measures are also being taken to preserve the plants growing along the service lanes.
Prayagraj-Dohrighat Corridor to connect with Purvanchal Expressway
March 2, 2024: Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari on March 1 said the government is developing the Prayagraj-Dohrighat Corridor project in UP. The 4-lane corridor spanning districts of Prayagraj, Jaunpur and Azamgarh connects the Purvanchal Expressway, 11 national highways, 2 state highways, 5 railway stations and two airports.
“The construction of this project road will reduce traffic problems in these 5 important commercial cities of Phulpur, Mungarabadpur, Machhilishahr, Jaunpur and Azamgarh. This ambitious project aims to provide seamless connectivity as well as generate huge economic benefits and increase employment to consumers, farmers, youth and businesspeople,” he added.
Balia Link Expressway-Purvanchal Expressway to boost connectivity: Gadkari
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on February 28, 2023, inaugurated the Balia Link Expressway project. According to minister Gadkari, the Balika Link Expressway will help people reach Patna from Lucknow through the Purvanchal Expressway in just four and a half hours. “Ballia to Buxar can be reached in half an hour, Ballia to Chhapra in one hour and Ballia to Patna in one and half hour…It would be possible to reach Patna from Lucknow through Purvanchal Expressway in just four-and-a-half hours with the construction of Ballia Link Expressway,” said Gadkari.
UP to build road linking Agra-Lucknow Expressway with Purvanchal Expressway
The Uttar Pradesh government plans to build an expressway linking two of the busiest expressways in the state, the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and the Purvanchal Expressway. While presenting the state Budget for the financial year 2024-25, UP finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna on February 5 said his government has allocated a budget of Rs 500 crore for this road project. The link road would ensure better connectivity between national capital Delhi and cities located in the far eastern part of Uttar Pradesh.
FAQs
Is Purvanchal Expressway open?
The Purvanchal Expressway opens on November 16, 2021.
Who started Purvanchal Expressway?
The Purvanchal Expressway was announced in May 2015 as the Lucknow-Azamgarh-Ballia Expressway and launched as the Purvanchal Expressway in October 2015.
Why the toll rate is different at two toll plazas?
Toll fee on each toll plaza is based on stretch length under that plaza, structures (bridge, tunnel, bypass) and width of the highways, applicable fee rules and provisions of the concessions agreement.
Are former servicemen are exempted from payment of toll fee?
No, former servicemen are not exempted from payment of toll fee.
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An alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal, Sunita Mishra brings over 16 years of expertise to the fields of legal matters, financial insights, and property market trends. Recognised for her ability to elucidate complex topics, her articles serve as a go-to resource for home buyers navigating intricate subjects. Through her extensive career, she has been associated with esteemed organisations like the Financial Express, Hindustan Times, Network18, All India Radio, and Business Standard.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Sunita holds an MA degree in Sanskrit, with a specialisation in Indian Philosophy, from Delhi University. Outside of her work schedule, she likes to unwind by practising Yoga, and pursues her passion for travel.
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