India’s Longest Expressway: Purvanchal Expressway

India is on its way to becoming a developed country. Many cities are seeing a great pace in their development.

Big cities such as the National capital Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai are now encountering significant infrastructure development for better connectivity and socio-economic development.

Uttar Pradesh has been focusing on improving its infrastructure in recent years, with the state government spending money to do so. 

Connectivity of Purvanchal Expressway

The Purvanchal Expressway, which will improve connectivity in Uttar Pradesh’s eastern region, is one of five expressways proposed by UPEIDA. This expressway will be India’s longest expressway, with a length of 340.8 kilometers. The highway begins in Chand Sarai Village, on the Lucknow-Sultanpur route, and continues via Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Ambedkarnagar, Azamgarh, and Mau before ending in Haidaria village in Ghazipur. Through the Agra, Lucknow, and Yamuna expressways, the eastern area will be connected to the state and national capitals, as well as Varanasi. The expressway is built at a cost or the Guidance Value of Rs.22,495 crores by Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) led by Awanish Kumar Awasthi, CEO of UPEIDA. He stated that the Purvanchal expressway is the backbone of the state’s north and south region. There will be easy access to most of the districts of the state once the project is complete. 

Construction granted for Purvanchal Expressway

For the construction, UPEIDA has secured monetary funds from national banks, providing them support/ funds from consortia. 

Purvanchal highway construction is divided into eight packages, each of which was allocated to five different companies. Packages 1 and 2 by Gayatri Projects, Package 3 by Apco Infratech, Packages 4 and 7 by GR Infraprojects, Packages 5 and 6 by PNC Infratech, which has grown to become a renowned highway development, construction, and management firm, and Package 8 by Oriental Structural Engineering.

The expressway includes 18 flyovers, 7 Railway Over Bridges (ROB), seven major bridges, 118 minor bridges, six toll plazas, 271 underpasses, and an airfield built in the Sultanpur district to allow aircraft to land in an emergency.

The average labor used at this project was 2000 per day, involving 1000 skilled and 1000 unskilled, and around 300 engineers and supervisors were engaged for the work supervision. 

The special deployment of safety officers by the organizations ensured safety. Also, at each location, safety toolbox meetings were held. 

Constructing the country’s longest expressway was undoubtedly a difficult task. 

Expected Outcomes of Purvanchal Expressway

Agriculture, tourism, industrial, and commercial activity are all expected to benefit from the Purvanchal Expressway project. Increased connectivity to the east and west borders will help the entire state of Uttar Pradesh in terms of economic and social growth. This faster connectivity will lead to the set up of industries in the eastern region of Uttar Pradesh, which will generate a lot of employment and business opportunities. Industrial Training Institutions, Educational Institutions, Medical Institutions, New townships, and other commercial facilities are being built, especially around the expressway.

Many businessmen and common people found the connectivity of Purvanchal Expressway beneficial as it makes it convenient for them to deliver supplies to the customers faster and reach the areas by traveling lesser kilometers and even saving the transportation expenses.   

Aside from being an access-controlled expressway, it would bring benefits such as fuel savings, time savings, pollution control, and accident reduction. Awanish Kumar Awasthi, CEO of UPEIDA, the Purvanchal highway, says he has gone through the process of what is required as a safety audit. IIT Roorkee conducted a safety audit, and a huge number of ambulances, vehicles for capturing stray animals, and vehicles for constant surveillance were deployed. 

The Bottom Line

Despite the pandemic, work on the expressway is proceeding as planned, with all necessary safety precautions implemented. Workplaces and offices were sanitized frequently, and workers were instructed to follow covid requirements. Periodic checking and medical aid were present at the site. With 99% of work completed so far, the expressway will be inaugurated by prime minister Narendra Modi by mid-November. 

The completion of the project will strengthen road connectivity across the eastern regions of UP. The expressway will prove to be a catalyst for the development of the region and state. It will serve as the backbone of the Purvanchal region and help Uttar Pradesh to prosper in the future. 

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are for informational purposes only based on industry reports and related news stories. PropertyPistol does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information and shall not be held responsible for any action taken based on the published information.