look news india
Relief news has emerged for lakhs of drivers and devotees traveling daily on the Outer Ring Road (Kisan Path), Ayodhya Road and Sultanpur Road of the capital Lucknow. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has prepared a mega project to construct three new four-lane underpasses and a 22-km long service road on both sides of Kisan Path to control the heavy traffic pressure on Ayodhya and Sultanpur National Highways. The technical file of this revised project worth about ₹240 crore has been sent to the Union Finance Ministry for final financial approval. According to officials, this budget will get the green signal by the first week of October 2026, after which the tender process will be started and the construction work will be started rapidly.
Initially when NHAI had prepared the blueprint of this underpass project, its total estimated cost was fixed at around ₹100 crore. However, in the last one and a half years, due to the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and the huge influx of devotees and tourists coming to visit Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi, the pressure of vehicles on this entire route has increased rapidly. After the site survey, the engineering wing of NHAI found that the jam will not be completely eliminated by just making the underpass, but construction of wide approach roads and technical intersections on both sides is also necessary to easily divert the vehicles from the main routes. The cost of the project has increased to ₹240 crore due to the inclusion of approach roads, safe intersections and 22 km long wide service road in the revised design of the underpass.
According to the project director of NHAI, a total of three four-lane underpasses will be built under this entire project. Of these, two underpasses are proposed on Ayodhya National Highway, while one underpass will be built on Sultanpur Road near Jalsa Resort and Car Showroom. The proposed underpass will be approximately 100 meters long and will have modern four-lane capacity. These underpasses will provide uninterrupted movement of traffic from both sides at major intersections in and around Goyal Heights. Intersections will be developed scientifically on both sides of the road, so that vehicles moving at high speed on the main carriageway can be saved from sudden braking or taking dangerous U-turns.
Lucknow Outer Ring Road and Kisan Path have now become the main hubs of logistics and passenger traffic for entire North India. According to current data, more than 60 thousand light and heavy commercial vehicles are passing through this entire corridor every day. Vehicles coming from Bakshi Ka Talab (BKT), Sitapur Road, Hardoi Road and Kanpur Road and going towards Ayodhya, Purvanchal Expressway or Varanasi use Kisan Path. In such a situation, when vehicles coming from BKT have to take a U-turn towards Ayodhya Road or Sultanpur Road, there is a long traffic jam. After the construction of 100 meter long four lane underpass, the traffic coming from BKT and Sultanpur will be able to take a safe U-turn from under the underpass without obstructing the main road.
The second most important part of this ₹240 crore project is the 22 km long service road to be built along Kisan Path. This service road will be prepared in 3.5 meter width between Ayodhya Road and Sultanpur Road. NHAI officials have clarified that the land required for the service road has already been acquired, hence there will be no land hindrance in the construction work. At present, dozens of rural areas and new residential colonies adjacent to Kisan Path had no direct route to safely get on and off the main highway. With the construction of this 22 km long service lane, local villagers, farmers, school buses and two-wheelers will not have to face risks amidst the fast-paced traffic of the highway.
The biggest feature of this infrastructure project is its engineering design. NHAI has designed the layout of the underpass and approach road in such a way that there will be no need for demolition of any private land, residential house, shop or large commercial establishment (car showroom etc.) or heavy land acquisition afresh. The entire structure has been accommodated within the available government land and already acquired Right of Way (ROW). With this, the project will not get entangled in any court dispute or compensation and the work will be able to proceed at the scheduled pace without any legal hindrance.
NHAI has set a clear and phased timeline to complete this mega project. According to the project, the construction work of 22 km long service road along Kisan Path will be completely completed by December 2027. At the same time, a target has been set to complete the entire civil work of the three four-lane underpasses, their approach roads and connecting intersections to be built on Ayodhya and Sultanpur Road by June 2028. As soon as the green signal is received from the Finance Ministry before Dussehra, the tender will be allotted and the construction agencies will be placed on the site. After its completion, the public will get permanent freedom from the long hours of traffic jam at the entry and exit gates of Lucknow.