Bundelkhand Expressway: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the 296-km-long Bundelkhand Expressway in Uttar Pradesh on July 16. Officials say the expressway, which stretches between Chitrakoot and Etawah, was completed eight months ahead of schedule. Laying the foundation stone in February 2020, Modi had said that the project would “create thousands of jobs and connect common people with facilities available in big cities”.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducted a physical inspection of the expressway inauguration site in Jalaun district on July 11. Have a look at the key features of Bundelkhand Expressway:
The expressway starts near Bharatkup in Chitrakoot district and merges with the Agra-Lucknow Expressway near Kudrail village in Etawah district. It includes the seven districts of Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah. The length of the road is crossing over several rivers- Bagen, Ken, Shyama, Chandawal, Birma, Yamuna, Betwa and Sengar.
According to officials, the total cost of the project has been estimated to be around Rs 15,000 crore. However, the Adityanath government has saved around Rs 1,132 crore by opting for e-tendering.
The project is expected to boost connectivity and boost economic activities in UP. A senior official of the Adityanath government said, “Bundelkhand, which is considered one of the most backward regions of the country, is directly connected to the national capital through the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and Yamuna Expressway.” “The Bundelkhand Expressway is expected to reduce the travel time between Delhi and Chitrakoot from 9-10 hours earlier to just six hours.”
Bundelkhand Expressway is also crucial for the success of the upcoming UP Defense Corridor project. Work on an industrial corridor has also started in Banda and Jalaun districts. An Rs 20,000-crore defense corridor project has been planned in 5,071 hectares in the western, central and Bundelkhand regions of the state.
The four-lane expressway developed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) has scope for expansion to six lanes in future. It has 13 interchange points. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the four-lane expressway in February 2020. The construction work has been completed within 28 months in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA).
The expressway extends from NH-35 in Gonda village of Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh to Etawah district of the state, where it merges with the 300 km long Agra-Lucknow Expressway.
The expressway currently has four lanes but may be expanded to a six-lane expressway. It will pass through seven districts of Uttar Pradesh – Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah.
In 2020, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the Bundelkhand Expressway will boost the defense corridor to be built in Bundelkhand.
The Bundelkhand Expressway will connect the region to Delhi via the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and Yamuna Expressway.