Work on the 594 km long Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh to be built at over Rs 36,200 crore cost is progressing quickly, with 82.58 per cent of clearing and grubbing (C&G) work done.

According to the latest progress report of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), C&G work is done on 490.48 km out of the total 594 km of the expressway.

The six-lane Ganga expressway project has been divided into four groups to expedite work, each consisting of three packages.

While IRB is executing group 1 to be built with Rs 6,538 crore, Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) is building three groups of the Ganga Expressway project (151.7 km from Badaun to Hardoi, 155.7 km from Hardoi to Unnao and 156.9 km from Unnao to Prayagraj) in a contract worth Rs 17,085.16 crore.

IRB, which deals with group 1 of the project between Meerut and Budaun, has completed 82 per cent of C&G work. On the other hand, the Adani group has completed 84.9 per cent, 81.24 per cent and 82 per cent of group 2, group 3 and group 4 of the project, respectively.

Being the largest expressway planned in the state, the Ganga expressway is expected to play a key role in CM Yogi Adityanath’s plan to make Uttar Pradesh into a USD one trillion economy.

Traversing through 12 districts — Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareilly, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj — the expressway would connect the eastern and western parts of the state.

This expressway reduces travel time between Delhi and Prayagraj by half from 10-11 hours to just 6-7 hours.

Also, the state government has plans to extend the expressway at both ends — by 110 km from Meerut to Tigri on the Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand border and by 314 km from Prayagraj to Ballia, in the second phase of the project.