Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Uttar Pradesh’s sixth expressway connecting Chitrakoot and Etawah today, the foundation of the project was laid by the Prime Minister in 2020, and the project is now complete. The 296-km-long Bundelkhand Expressway will facilitate transport services in the state with four lanes constructed with an investment of Rs 14,850 crore. In addition, the expressway can be expanded to six lanes below the line. It is noteworthy that the said expressway has been developed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA). Along with Chitrakoot and Etawah, the expressway will pass through seven districts, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun and Auraiya.
the places it covers
The expressway starts near Bharatkoop in Chitrakoot district and merges with the Agra-Lucknow expressway near Kudrail village in Etawah district. It covers the seven districts of Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Aurraiya, and Etawah. The road has crossings over several rivers: Bagen, Ken, Shyama, Chandawal, Birma, Yamuna, Betwa, and Sengar.
Uttar Pradesh is becoming an express state
The construction of expressway will pave the way for all round development of Bundelkhand region.@CMOfficeUP @UPGovt @AwasthiAwanishK @NandiGuptaBJP @_investup @investindia @chitrakootDM @District Etawah @DM_Jalaun pic.twitter.com/w7lvbme4PA
— UPEIDA (@upeidaofficial) 12 July 2022
Bundelkhand Expressway Project Cost
The total cost of the project is estimated by the officials to be over Rs 15,000 crore. However, the Yogi Adityanath administration has saved around Rs 1,132 crore by opting for e-tendering.
Role of Bundelkhand Expressway in increasing regional connectivity?
Bundelkhand Expressway is one of the major links increasing connectivity in the state. Due to the four-lane expressway, the journey between Delhi and Chitrakoot, which used to take 9-10 hours, can now be completed in an estimated 6 hours. Bundelkhand Expressway is also critical to the success of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Defense Corridor project.
Construction has also started on the Industrial Corridor in Banda and Jalaun districts. The Rs 20,000 crore defense corridor project covers an area of over 5,071 hectares in the western, central and Bundelkhand parts of the state.
Six of the state’s 13 expressways, totaling 3,200 km, are in use, and seven more are under construction. Highways and expressway corridors are becoming industrial areas. The Air Force is developing an airstrip for use in emergency situations.