Purvanchal Expressway : Details of Project and Updated Status

The Uttar Pradesh government has been quite efficient in delivering good connectivity networks in the entire state and the Purvanchal Expressway deserves a special mention. The project, still under construction, will become the longest expressway in India after the Agra Lucknow Expressway.

The Purvanchal Expressway route will connect several central districts in UP and will also connect them directly to the national capital of Delhi. The Purvanchal Expressway is set to be inaugurated in October 2021 and can also be launched in advance if the construction is completed before time.

Purvanchal Expressway Overview

The 340.82 km long Purvanchal Expressway is a project managed by UPEIDA and is an access-controlled expressway that has six lanes. The Purvanchal Expressway road has a route alignment that connects Chand Sarai Village in the Lucknow District and Haidaria Village in the Ghazipur District.

Purvanchal Expressway Status Timeline

May 2015 – Akhilesh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister announces the Lucknow–Azamgarh–Ballia Expressway project or Samajwadi Purvanchal Expressway (as it was called earlier).

October 2015 – An alignment was finalized out of the three proposed and three months were given to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR).

November 2015 – The project was renamed Purvanchal Expressway.

February 2016 – A total of ₹1500 crores was allotted by the government for the project.

December 2016 – UP CM lays down the foundation stone for the Purvanchal Expressway.

May 2017 – Yogi Adityanath becomes the new CM of UP and orders for the acquisition of 80% of the required land.

July 2018 – The foundation stone of Purvanchal Expressway was laid by PM Narendra Modi in Azamgarh.

October 2018 – The construction started on 10 October for Package 2 to 8.

June 2019 – 10% of the total construction is completed.

October 2019 – 20% of the construction is completed.

April 2020 – The construction began again after a month of hold due to COVID-19.

August 2020 – 52% of the construction is completed.

July 2021 – 930 out of a total of 934 structures and 95% of the work is completed. October 2021 is kept as the deadline.

September 2021 – UP CM Yogi Adityanath asserted that the Purvanchal Expressway will be inaugurated in October 2021. By 20 September, 97% of the work was completed.

Purvanchal Expressway inaugurated by PM Modi:

The 341-km Purvanchal Expressway at Karwal Kheri in Sultanpur district, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday 16th November 2021, Purvanchal Expressway is the biggest completed infrastructure project by the Uttar Pradesh government.

Development of Purvanchal Expressway

Purvanchal Expressway, along with three other access-controlled expressways (the Gorakhpur Link Expressway, the Ganga Expressway, and the Bundelkhand Expressway) are all six-lane expressways that are being built to transform the road network of Uttar Pradesh. The state will then become the only state with the largest expressway network in the country. Once these expressways are completed, the expressways in the state will account for 1788 km which is the highest in the country.

The estimated cost of this project is ₹22,496 crores. The Purvanchal Expressway route will connect many central districts in the state to the eastern ones. It will also align these districts’ indirect connectivity with the national capital of Delhi. The Purvanchal Expressway road will have 22 flyovers and seven bridges. The Purvanchal Expressway also flaunts an airstrip that will allow the emergency landing of the flights.

The Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) is developing the Purvanchal Expressway which is an access-controlled expressway. It was expected to be completed by March 2021 before the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Uttar Pradesh government had to impose lockdown in phases which delayed the construction process by a long time. At present, the work is completed 80% and the Purvanchal Expressway’s current status is that it will be completed by October 2021.

In the month of October 2015, UP CM Yogi Adityanath relaunched the Lucknow-Azamgarh-Ballia Expressway which was a brainchild of the previous government as the Purvanchal Expressway. The foundation stone for the project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Azamgarh in July 2018.

Purvanchal Expressway Route

This 340.8 km highway project will start from the Lucknow-Sultanpur road from the Chand Saray village and will pass through Amethi, Ayodhya, Mau, Barabanki, Sultanpur, and Ambedkarnagar and will end at the Hyderia village of Ghazipur. The primary benefit of the Purvanchal Expressway highway is that it will reduce the time of travel from Ghazipur to Lucknow from 12 hours to six hours, which is a lot. It will also aid in connecting these cities to the national capital of Delhi. After the completion of the Purvanchal Expressway, it will only take 10 hours from Ghazipur to Delhi by car.

For your information, Lucknow, UP’s capital is connected to Delhi via the Noida-Greater Noida expressway, Agra-Lucknow Expressway, and the Yamuna Expressway. The Purvanchal Expressway will also be linked with the Varanasi-Azamgarh highway with the help of a separate link road. Gorakhpur Link Expressway is also being constructed by the UPEIDA through which the Jaitpur village in the Gorakhpur district will be connected to the Purvanchal Expressway at the Salarpur village in the Azamgarh district.

A proposal to connect Bihar with the Purvanchal Expressway from Ghazipur is already in the pipeline.

Delhi – Lucknow – Patna connectivity

The government of Uttar Pradesh has proposed the construction of the Purvanchal Expressway in an initiative to connect Ghazipur with Lucknow in order to aid transportation facilities. Additionally, it will also improve the trade and commerce activities in Bihar and East UP. After the completion of Buxar-Ghazipur Elevated Road, commuters will be able to travel from New Delhi to Patna via Lucknow and Agra in Uttar Pradesh.

Purvanchal Expressway Map

Below is the detailed Purvanchal Expressway map.

Key benefits of Purvanchal Expressway

One of the most important benefits of the Purvanchal Express Highway is that it will improve connectivity between Eastern Uttar Pradesh and the national capital, Delhi.
Since it is an access-controlled highway it will save fuel, time and help in curbing air pollution. It will also help in the reduction of accidents.
It will help in the social and economical development of the areas surrounding the highway. Tourism, industries, agriculture, and commerce will also get a boost.
Educational institutes, New Townships, Industrial Training Institutes, Medical Institutes, and various other economical setups will also be developed around the Purvanchal Expressway which will also lead to more employment opportunities in the surrounding areas. This will also lead to social and economic development in the area. The entire area and State will get a development boost.