• Source:JND

Amid demands to connect the northern and southern districts of the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has given the green light to a proposal for six new North-South corridors. Once completed, these corridors will facilitate easier travel for people across more than two dozen districts.

These corridors are expected to accelerate economic activities in the region, thereby creating new employment opportunities. The action plan for the sections to be constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD) has been approved, and preparations are underway to get the estimates approved by the Cabinet soon.

CM Yogi Adityanath Gives Consent

The proposal for constructing these new corridors was presented to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who has given his consent. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative for North-South connectivity, as most expressways and highways built in the state so far run in an East-West direction.

For the past two years, the Chief Minister has been striving to build expressways and highways linking the north and south. He had previously raised this demand with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari. Recently, State Finance Minister Suresh Khanna also placed the demand for these corridors before Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

1. Shravasti-Prayagraj Corridor: The first corridor connects Ikauna (Shravasti), Ayodhya, Sultanpur and Prayagraj. It has a total length of 262 km and will be completed in four packages.

Segments: Ikauna-Balrampur (25 km), Balrampur-Ayodhya (86 km), Ayodhya-Pratapgarh (93 km) and Pratapgarh-Prayagraj (58 km).

Connectivity: It will link the Shamli-Gorakhpur Highway, Purvanchal Expressway and the proposed Vindhya Expressway.

Status: The Pratapgarh-Prayagraj section is already four-lane. The Balrampur-Ayodhya and Ayodhya-Pratapgarh sections will be developed as six-lane greenfield highways. The 25 km Ikauna-Balrampur section is currently two-lane and will be upgraded to a four-lane paved shoulder road by NHAI or MoRTH.

2. Kushinagar to Varanasi Corridor: The second corridor runs from Kushinagar to Varanasi via Deoria, Dohrighat, Ghazipur, and Zamania. The total length is 220 km.

Segments: Kushinagar-Deoria (35 km), Deoria-Dohrighat (22 km), Dohrighat-Ghazipur (83 km) and Ghazipur-Varanasi (80 km).

Status: The Dohrighat-Mau-Ghazipur and Ghazipur-Varanasi sections are already four-lane. The PWD will undertake the work for the Kushinagar-Deoria and Deoria-Dohrighat sections at an estimated cost of Rs 342 crore (approx. Rs 6 crore per km).

3. Nepal Border to Prayagraj Corridor: The third corridor spans 295 km from the Pipri (India-Nepal) border to Prayagraj via Bansi (Siddharthnagar).

Segments: Pipri-Birdpur (9 km), Birdpur-Tanda (123 km), Tanda-Surhurpur (30 km), Surhurpur-Shahganj (28 km), Shahganj-Mungra Badshahpur (68 km) and Mungra Badshahpur-Prayagraj (37 km).

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Connectivity: This corridor will connect the Shamli-Gorakhpur Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway, and Vindhya Expressway.

Execution: PWD will handle three sections (107 km) at a cost of Rs 642 crore, while NHAI or MoRTH will handle two sections (123 km) at a cost of Rs 738 crore.

4. Lakhimpur to Banda Corridor : The fourth corridor covers 502 km, connecting Lakhimpur, Sitapur, Lucknow, Nawabganj, Lalganj, Chaudagra, Joniha, Lalauli and Atarra to Banda.

Segments: Includes Lakhimpur-Sitapur (89 km), Sitapur-Lucknow-Nawabganj (193 km) and several other stretches leading to Banda.

Status: The Lakhimpur-Sitapur and Unnao-Chaudagra sections are already four-lane.

Execution: Work will be divided between PWD (Rs 276 crore) and NHAI and MoRTH (Rs 132 crore).

5. Bareilly to Lalitpur Corridor (547 km): The fifth corridor connects Bareilly, Agra and Jhansi to Lalitpur.

Segments: The Bareilly-Kasganj-Agra section is 216 km; contracts for its construction and upgradation have been awarded to NHAI. The Agra-Jhansi (234 km) and Jhansi-Lalitpur (97 km) sections are already four-lane.

Connectivity: This corridor will link the proposed Shamli-Gorakhpur Highway as well as the Ganga and Yamuna Expressways. NHAI and MoRTH will execute 59 km of work at an approximate cost of Rs 354 crore.

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6. Pilibhit to Orai-Harpalpur Highway (514 km): The sixth corridor runs from Mustafaabad (Pilibhit Tiger Reserve) to Harpalpur via Shahjahanpur and Orai.

Segments: Includes Mustafaabad-Puranpur (32 km) and Puranpur-Puwayan (81 km). The Puwayan-Shahjahanpur and Shahjahanpur-Munder (56 km) sections are proposed to be four-lane (currently two-lane).

Connectivity: The Munder-Farrukhabad-Orai stretch will connect via the Ganga Expressway, the Agra-Lucknow Expressway (via the proposed Farrukhabad link), and the Bundelkhand Expressway.

Status: The Orai-Rath (54 km) and Rath-Harpalpur (45 km) sections are already four-lane. PWD will execute work worth Rs 528 crore, and NHAI and MoRTH will execute work worth Rs 660 crore.

Official Statement

Chief Secretary of PWD, Ajay Chauhan said, "The action plan for the sections to be built by the PWD in the proposed corridors has been approved. Information regarding the sections to be built by NHAI and MoRTH has been sent to them. Work will commence soon after getting the estimate proposals approved by the Cabinet. All corridors are targeted to be completed within two years."


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