Purvanchal Expressway is a 340.8 km long, 6-lane wide (expandable to 8) access-controlled expressway in the state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The expressway connects Chand Saray village near Gosainganj in Lucknow district with Haydaria village on NH-31 in

Ghazipur district Ghazipur district is a Districts of Uttar Pradesh, district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The city of Ghazipur is the district headquarters. The district is part of Varanasi Division. The region of Ghazipur is famous mainly for the ...

. It is developed by the

Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority The Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), headquartered at Paryatan Bhawan in Gomti Nagar in Lucknow, is an land acquisition and infrastructure development entity of the Government of Uttar Pradesh aimed at the ...

(UPEIDA). The Purvanchal Expressway has a 3.2 km long

airstrip An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

at Akhalkiri Karwat village near

Kurebhar Kurebhar is a town in Sultanpur district of the Uttar Pradesh state in India. Kurebhar is 20 km north of district headquarters Sultanpur city. Governance There is a police station in Kurebhar. Kurebhar is also a Block i ...

Sultanpur district Sultanpur district is a district in the Awadh region of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district is a part of Ayodhya division of the state. The administrative headquarters of the district is Sultanpur city. The total area of Sultanpur ...

for emergency landing of aircraft. The construction work was started by the UPEIDA on 10 October 2018 and was inaugurated and opened to the public on 16 November 2021. The project was announced and laid down by the then

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh is the head of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. As per the Constitution of India, the Governor (India), governor is the state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minis ...

Akhilesh Yadav Akhilesh Yadav (; born 1 July 1973) is an Indian politician and national president of the Samajwadi Party who served as the 20th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Having assumed the chief minister's office on 15 March 2012 at the age of 38, he ...

as Lucknow-Azamgarh-Ballia Samajwadi Purvanchal Expressway in May 2015. Later, route was changed to Lucknow-Azamgarh-Ghazipur by the

Yogi Adityanath Yogi Adityanath (born Ajay Mohan Singh Bisht; 5 June 1972) is an Indian Hindu monk and politician. He is currently serving as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh since 19 March 2017, became the first to hold the office for two consecutive ter ...

government, and upon acquisition of around 95% of required land,

foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

of Purvanchal Expressway was laid on 14 July 2018 by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

. With a total project value of

₹ The Indian rupee sign ⟨₹⟩ is the currency symbol for the Indian rupee (ISO 4217: INR), the official currency of India. Designed by D. Udaya Kumar, it was presented to the public by the Government of India on 15 July 2010, following its ...

22,494

crore Crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes the quantity ten million (107) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. In many international contexts, the decimal quantity is formatted as 10,000,000, but when used in the context of the India ...

, including the

land acquisition Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land surface ...

cost, the Expressway was India's longest expressway at the time of completion. The expressway is to be linked with

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

–

Azamgarh Azamgarh is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Azamgarh division, which consists of Ballia, Mau and Azamgarh districts. Azamgarh is situated on the bank of Tamsa River (Tons). It is located east of the ...

highway through a separate link road. UPEIDA is also constructing the Gorakhpur Link Expressway, which will connect Jaitpur village in Gorakhpur district with Purvanchal Expressway at Salarpur village in

Azamgarh district Azamgarh district is one of the three districts of Azamgarh division in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Etymology The district is named after its headquarters town, Azamgarh. Azam, a son of Vikramajit, founded the town in 1665. Vikramajit ...

. Upon the completion of 17 km long, 4-

lane In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in eac ...

wide ''Buxar–Ghazipur Elevated Road'' ( Bharauli near

Buxar Buxar is a nagar parishad city in the state of Bihar, India, sharing border with Balia and Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh. It is the headquarters of the eponymous Buxar district, as well as the headquarters of the community development ...

to Haydaria in

Ghazipur Ghazipur, is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ghazipur city is the administrative headquarters of the Ghazipur district, one of the four districts that form the Varanasi division of Uttar Pradesh. It is located on the Ganges (Ganga) ...

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

will be directly connected to

Arrah Arrah (also transliterated as Ara) is a city and a municipal corporation in Bhojpur district, India, Bhojpur district (formerly known as Shahabad district) in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the headquarters of Bhojpur district, India, Bhojpur ...

and

Patna Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

by Purvanchal Expressway and NH-922. 5 industrial corridors will be set up alongside Purvanchal Expressway. As on Nov., 2023, the land has been identified and process for bainama is underway. In Ghazipur district, 25% bainama of land has been done till May, 2024.

Route

The Purvanchal Expressway connects Chand Saray village near Gosainganj in Lucknow district with Haydaria village on Mohammadabad–

highway ( NH-31) in

. It passes through 9 districts of

i.e. (from west to east)

Barabanki Barabanki is a city and a municipal board in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Barabanki district and a part of Ayodhya division. The city is about 30 km east of Lu ...

Amethi Amethi is a city situated in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Gauriganj is the administrative headquarters of the Amethi district. This district is a part of Ayodhya division in the Awadh region of the state. Amethi was 72nd district of ...

, Sultanpur,

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

, Ambedkar Nagar,

Mau Mau may refer to: Places Brazil * Maú River, an alternate name for the Ireng River Kenya * Mau Escarpment * Mau Forest India * Mau, Bhind, a town in Madhya Pradesh * Mau, Mawal, Pune district, Marahrashtra * Mau, Punjab, a village ...

and

Entry/ Exits

The following entry/exit points are present in the expressway:

Construction

The UPEIDA divided the construction work of 340.8 km long Purvanchal Expressway into 8 packages, which were awarded to 5 different contractors. The design work was done by Egis India Consulting Engineers (Package 1 to 4) and Ayesa India (Package 5 to 8). 22 Flyovers, 7 Railway-over-bridges (ROB), 7 major bridges, 114 minor bridges, 6

Toll Plaza A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or '' toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and maintenan ...

s, 45 vehicular-underpasses (VUP), 139 Light VUP, 87 pedestrian underpass and 525 Box culverts has been constructed. Total construction cost (excluding the cost of Land) is around

11,216

s. Following is the list of contractors:

Inauguration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the member of parliament (MP) for Varanas ...

arrived at the inauguration site in the

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

and later touch and go exercise was also performed on the expressway by the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

(IAF). Indian Air Force fighter jets performed the 'touch and go' operation, under which 30 fighter planes touched the Purvanchal expressway airstrip and then took off. Fighter jets including Mirage 2000, AN-32, Jaguar, and Sukhoi performed touch and go operations and showcased a landing on the expressway. The Indian aircraft showcased tricolor in the sky.

Delhi–Lucknow–Patna connectivity

The Purvanchal Expressway is a part of

Government of Uttar Pradesh The Government of Uttar Pradesh (International Organization for Standardization, ISO: ''Uttara Pradēśa Sarakāra''; often abbreviated as GoUP) is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with the governor as its appoin ...

's initiative to connect

with

in order to improve transportation facilities and trade & commerce activities in East UP and

. Upon the completion of 4-

wide Buxar–Ghazipur Elevated Road ( Bharauli near

to Haydaria in

), people can also travel from

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

in Bihar via

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

and

by using following route: Note: Union Minister

Nitin Gadkari Nitin Jairam Gadkari (; born 27 May 1957) is an Indian politician who serves as the 40th Minister of Road Transport & Highways in the Government of India since 2014. He is also the longest serving Minister for Road Transport & Highways, current ...

announced on 28 August 2021 that the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

will construct

–

Expressway at an event in Arrah,

Status updates

*May 2015: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister

announces intention to take up the Lucknow-Ballia Expressway soon. *Oct 2015: Government of UP finalized the alignment out of three proposed alignment for expressway.

Detailed Project Report A project plan, is a series of structured tasks, objectives, and schedule to a complete a desired outcome, according to a project managers designs and purpose. According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), is: "...a formal, appro ...

(DPR) to be prepared in three months. * Nov 2015: The Lucknow–Azamgarh–Ballia Expressway renamed as Purvanchal Expressway. * Feb 2016: State Government allocated ₹1,500 crores for the expressway in the budget. * Dec 2016:

, then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh lays foundation stone of Lucknow-Azamgarh-Ballia Expressway on 22 December 2016. * Mar 2017:

of BJP became the new Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on 19 March 2017. * May 2017:

government cancels tenders issued by the previous

government, stating that currently only 40.17% of needed land is acquired. The fresh tenders will be issued, when at least 80% of the required land will be acquired. UP Government orders faster land acquisition. * Sep 2017: 60% land acquired at cost of ₹4,500 crore. Total land acquisition may cost up to ₹6,500 crore.

NITI Aayog The NITI Aayog (; abbreviation for National Institution for Transforming India) serves as the apex public policy think tank of the Government of the Republic of India, and the nodal agency tasked with catalyzing economic development, and foste ...

says the

Central Government A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or deleg ...

may bear construction cost, if UP government bears the land acquisition cost. * Jan 2018: 85% land acquisition done, foundation stone to be laid in March 2018. * Apr 2018: 91% land acquired. Request for Proposal (RFP) document floated. * Jul 2018: On 14 July 2018,

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

laid the

of Purvanchal Expressway (Lucknow-Azamgarh-Ghazipur Expressway) at

. Tender awarded for road construction to 5 firms for 8 packages. * Oct 2018: Construction work started on 10 October for Package 2 to 8. * Nov 2018: Construction work started by Gayatri Projects on 24 November for Package-1. * Feb 2019: The

allocated ₹1,194

s in UP Budget 2019. * Jun 2019:

saves ₹620 crore in bidding process for Purvanchal Expressway. 10% of construction work has been completed. * Jul 2019: Proposal to extend the Purvanchal Expressway to

Ballia Ballia is a city with a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The eastern boundary of the city lies at the junction of two major rivers, the Ganges and the Ghaghara. The city is situated east of Varanasi and about 380 k ...

. * Sep 2019: 97% of earth work completed. To check the progress of construction work without physical inspection, UPEIDA to launch mobile app soon. * Oct 2019: 20% of construction work is completed. * Apr 2020: Work resumed after being on-hold for nearly a month due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. * Aug 2020: 52% of construction work completed, as of 10 August. * Jun 2021: 90% of construction work and 928 out of total 934 structures completed as of 28 June. * Jul 2021: 95% of construction work and 930 out of total 934 structures completed as of 26 July. The deadline for construction work is October 2021. * Aug 2021: Union Minister

announced on 28 August 2021 that the

will construct

–

Expressway at an event in Arrah,

. * Sep 2021: On 10 September, CM

confirmed to inaugurate the expressway in October 2021. 97% of construction work completed as of 20 September. *Nov 2021: The expressway was inaugurated by Prime Minister

on 16 November at an event in

. *May 2022: Toll collection starts at all

s with effect from 1 May 2022.

Controversies and Criticism

The first seasonal rains in October 2022 caused wide stretches of road caving deep in, some extending to even 15 feet deep. Accidents were reported at several places, with multiple injuries and damage to numerous cars garnering significant coverage in media. The much proclaimed dream project of

, built over a whopping 22000 crore expense by the Yogi government and inaugurated by Prime Minister

in November 2021, faced subsequent backlash and criticism for the alleged irregularities and corruption in construction of the expressway which couldn't withstand the first few hours of rain within a year following its inauguration.

References

External links

* https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/11590441
Gayatri Projects

Apco Infratech

GR Infraprojects

PNC Infratech

Oriental Structural Engineers
{{Highways in India Expressways in Uttar Pradesh Transport in Lucknow Transport in Ghazipur