Ganga Expressway to be completed within deadline maintaining high quality: UP CM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday inspected the under-construction Ganga Expressway and directed officials and agencies involved to ensure timely completion of the project without compromising on quality, a statement said.

The chief minister visited various construction sites across three districts — Hardoi (Bilgram), Shahjahanpur (Jalalabad), and Hapur (Garhmukteshwar) — to review the progress of the expressway, which aims to connect the western and eastern parts of the state.

Expressing satisfaction over the progress of construction works, Adityanath instructed officials to expedite work, the statement said.

During the visit, the chief minister also travelled around five kilometres on the expressway to personally assess road quality and comfort.

He was briefed about the use of advanced German technology, introduced for the first time on this expressway project, and expressed happiness over the implementation of innovative methods.

Adityanath also interacted with labourers involved in the construction work at Hapur and participated in a photo session with them, appreciating their efforts in completing significant portions of the project, particularly a bridge over the Ganga River.

Earlier, Adityanath visited work near Bilgram tehsil of Hardoi and later in in Jalalabad, Shahjahanpur, and concluded his tour at Garhmukteshwar, Hapur.

Starting his inspection from Hardoi district, Adityanath landed at a helipad near Hasanpur Gopal village and examined the expressway both on foot and by car.

He was introduced to a Swiss university-developed advanced technology for assessing road comfort, which he praised.

In Shahjahanpur, the chief minister conducted an aerial survey of the 3.5 km-long airstrip being constructed on the expressway.

An airshow is scheduled to be held here on May 2 and 3. It is also planned that, for the first time, night landings would be demonstrated in his presence on the airstrip.

According to UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority ACEO Shrihari Pratap Shahi, the 594-km-long Ganga Expressway is divided into four groups, with three (Groups 2, 3, and 4) being built by the Adani Group and one (Group 1) by IRB Infrastructure Developers under the PPP model.

The chief minister reviewed the progress in Groups 1, 2, and 3 during his visit.

The expressway, linking Meerut to Prayagraj, is expected to boost industrial, agricultural, tourism, and trade activities, and open new investment opportunities across Uttar Pradesh. It is a flagship project under the PM Gati Shakti initiative, playing a vital role in India’s goal of becoming a USD 5 trillion economy.

The 'Bhoomi Pujan' of the expressway was done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 18 December, 2021 in Shahjahanpur. The expressway is expected to be completed soon.

The key features of the expressway will be six-lane construction, expandable to eight lanes, Right of Way (ROW) width: 120 meters; designed for a speed of 120 km/hr.

It will have nine wayside amenities and 21 toll plazas (including 2 main and 19 ramp tolls), construction of two major bridges over the Ganga and Ramganga rivers, airstrip near Jalalabad, Shahjahanpur for emergency landings, it said.

It will connect 12 major cities and will cover 518 villages.