Hardoi/Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the 594-km-long Ganga Expressway, a mega infrastructure project connecting Meerut to Prayagraj.
The PM reached Hardoi district around noon and inaugurated the expressway with the touch of a button in presence of Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, among others.
The high-speed corridor is expected to significantly boost connectivity across Uttar Pradesh, while giving impetus to industrial investment, logistics, agricultural marketing, and regional balance.
The expressway links 12 districts: Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh, and Prayagraj, and is expected to drastically reduce travel time while enabling faster and safer movement of goods and people.
Speaking at the inauguration in Hardoi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the Ganga Expressway as a transformative project for the state’s growth. “The way the Ganga has been the lifeline of Uttar Pradesh for thousands of years, similarly, this expressway will become a new lifeline for the state’s development,” he said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a post on X, said the inauguration from Hardoi marks a new momentum in the state’s development journey. He described the six-lane expressway, expandable to eight lanes, as a “lifeline” connecting villages, farmers, entrepreneurs and youth, adding that it will accelerate growth and bridge distances.
Union Minister and BJP Uttar Pradesh president Pankaj Chaudhary also welcomed the inauguration, calling it one of the longest expressways in the country and a landmark infrastructure boost for the state.
Developed under a public-private partnership model, the project has been built as a six-lane corridor with provision for expansion to eight lanes and a design speed of 120 kmph. A 3.2-km airstrip near Shahjahanpur has also been constructed to facilitate emergency landings by the Indian Air Force.
The expressway is equipped with an Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), CCTV surveillance, emergency call boxes, ambulances and patrol units to enhance commuter safety.
Integrated Manufacturing and Logistics Clusters (IMLCs) along the route will include warehouses, cold storage facilities, and food processing hubs aimed at attracting investment and generating employment.
Officials said the expressway will connect with major corridors, including Purvanchal, Agra-Lucknow, Bundelkhand, and Gorakhpur Link expressways, creating a vast transport network. The project is expected to generate large-scale employment and contribute significantly to Uttar Pradesh’s goal of becoming a trillion-dollar economy.
According to officials, the Prime Minister arrived in Hardoi around 11 am, inaugurated the expressway, visited an exhibition by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), planted saplings, and addressed a public gathering before departing in the afternoon.
