Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 594-km Ganga Expressway in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh. The expressway will be extended beyond its current route, PM Modi said on Wednesday, adding that the work has already started to take it up to Haridwar and connect it with other roads.
“Soon, the Ganga Expressway will extend beyond Meerut and reach Haridwar. To make better use of it, it will also be connected to other expressways through the Farrukhabad Link Expressway,” he said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was also present at the event organised to launch one of the country’s largest greenfield road projects.
The Ganga Expressway will be linked to a wider network of highways, such as the Yamuna Expressway, Agra-Lucknow Expressway, and the Jewar Link Expressway. It is also expected to improve access to the Noida International Airport.
Linking Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh to Prayagraj in the eastern region, the Ganga Expressway passes through multiple districts, including Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli and Pratapgarh.
The project has been built with an estimated investment of Rs 36,230 crore and is designed as a six-lane access-controlled highway with scope for future expansion to eight lanes.
Vehicles will be able to travel at speeds of up to 120 kmph, expected to cut down the journey time between Meerut and Prayagraj from the current 10 to 12 hours to approximately 6-8 hours.
The expressway has been developed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA). The Adani Group constructed three of the four stretches of the Ganga Expressway, accounting for 464 km of the total 594-km project.
One of the standout features of the project is a dedicated emergency landing strip in the Shahjahanpur district. This stretch, measuring around 3.5 kilometres, can be used by the Indian Air Force for aircraft operations. Trial runs involving fighter jets and transport planes have already been conducted there.
The Ganga Expressway is more than just a highway. Along its route, large industrial and logistics zones are proposed across nearly 2,600 hectares spread over the 12 districts it passes through. Key locations, such as Meerut, Badaun, Kanpur and Prayagraj, are expected to see the development of pharma hubs, textile units, and IT parks.
With these projects, the corridor is likely to reduce logistics costs, improve supply chain efficiency and boost manufacturing competitiveness across the state.
At the same time, the expressway will improve connectivity to religious places like Prayagraj, Varanasi and Ayodhya, which attract large numbers of pilgrims every year.
