After the successful inauguration of the Ganga Expressway, Uttar Pradesh is looking at eight new expressway corridors that would significantly extend the state’s existing road network.
As per ex-IAS officer Awanish K Awasthi’s post on X, the projects, which are currently in the proposed stage, span the western, central, Bundelkhand, and eastern parts of the state and are aimed at plugging gaps that the current expressway grid leaves unaddressed. Awasthi was also the chief advisor to CM Yogi in 2022.
The proposed list includes the Chitrakoot Link Expressway, a connector between the Agra–Lucknow Expressway and the Purvanchal Expressway via Farrukhabad, a Jhansi–Bundelkhand Expressway Link, the Vindhya Expressway, and a Vindhya–Purvanchal Link Expressway. A Meerut–Haridwar Link Expressway is also on the list, which would extend connectivity into Uttarakhand’s border region.
The Jewar connection
One of the more strategically significant proposals is a dedicated corridor from Jewar Airport to the Ganga Expressway via Bulandshahr. The Noida International Airport at Jewar, currently under construction, is expected to be one of the largest airports in Asia once operational.
Boosting UP connectivity: What it builds on
The proposed corridors would sit on top of a network that already includes five operational expressways, the 594-kilometre Ganga Expressway, the Purvanchal Expressway, the Agra–Lucknow Expressway, the Bundelkhand Expressway, and the Gorakhpur Link Expressway.
These existing roads come with airstrips, EV charging stations, rest areas, and smart infrastructure, and have been central to the state government’s pitch to investors.
Where things stand
No official timelines or funding details for the proposed expressways have been announced by the state government. If we take the example of the Ganga Expressway here, the project went through various stages of planning, land acquisition, and environmental clearance before the construction began.