Uttar Pradesh Plans Ambitious Road Network Upgrades To Strengthen State’s North-South Connectivity

In addition to prioritising the extensive expressway network within the state, the Uttar Pradesh government is also directing its attention towards expanding the road infrastructure to improve north-south connectivity.

To ensure development throughout the state, the public works department is working on a roadmap that complements the existing network of expressways and focuses on connectivity.

Several routes are currently being considered to improve the north-south link in the state.

These routes include — Bijnor to Lalitpur, Moradabad to Agra, Pilibhit to Mahoba, Lakhimpur Khiri to Chitrakoot, Gonda to Prayagraj, and Basti to Mirzapur.

As per a recent assessment, Uttar Pradesh is ranked seventh when evaluating the accessibility of highways and district roads per one lakh population. The findings reveal that Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, as well as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, exhibit superior road connectivity, as per a TOI report.

This indicates that there is room for improvement in terms of road infrastructure in the state.

Currently, major national highways and expressways facilitate travel between the eastern and western parts of Uttar Pradesh.

The state currently has an operational network of six expressways, totalling 1,225 km in length.

Another 2,600 km of expressways are being built, making Uttar Pradesh the first state to have a network of 14 expressways.

The focus of the road network expansion will be on connecting the national highways and expressways in a grid-like pattern.

According to Arvind Kumar Jain, the engineer-in-chief and head of the department, “The north-south grid will bring down the commute time between district headquarters and state capital as well as to other parts of the state.”

Similarly, the travel time to Lucknow from various corners of the state will come down, from present 8-10 hours, to under six hours.

To achieve the complete grid formation, 2,000 km of existing roads will need to be upgraded and strengthened, and 600 km of new greenfield highways will need to be developed.