Pride of UP Purvanchal Expressway: 341 KM long, air strip for fighter planes, know its every feature

Among the roads that speed up the progress of Uttar Pradesh, the one expressway whose name comes first is Purvanchal Expressway. It is not just a road, but the lifeline of eastern Uttar Pradesh, which directly connects the region to the state capital Lucknow.

This 340.8 km long expressway is the longest operational expressway in Uttar Pradesh today. Let us know about its features, which make it a great example of engineering.

From where to where does this expressway go?

This spectacular expressway starts its journey from Chand Sarai village in Lucknow and goes up to Hydaria village in Ghazipur district of eastern UP. In its journey it connects 9 big districts of Uttar Pradesh:

• Lucknow
• barabanki
• Amethi
• Sultanpur
• Ayodhya
• Ambedkar Nagar
• Azamgarh
• Mau
• Ghazipur

Unique combination of speed, cost and strength

• Construction and Cost: Its construction work started in October 2018 and was completed in just three years. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 16 November 2021. This massive project cost approximately ₹22,500 crore, which also includes the cost of land acquisition.
• Lanes and Speed: This expressway is of 6 lanes, which can be widened to 8 lanes if needed in future. The top speed for cars on this has been fixed at 120 kilometers per hour.
• Excellent engineering: 22 flyovers, 7 railway overbridges, 7 major bridges and 114 minor bridges have been built on this expressway, which makes the journey comfortable and safe.

The biggest feature of this expressway: Emergency air strip

While building this expressway, special attention has been given to the security of the country. A 3.2 km long air strip has been built on the expressway in Sultanpur district.

• Why was this air strip built? It can be used to land and take off Indian Air Force fighter planes, such as Sukhoi and Mirage, in any emergency situation. Even huge cargo aircraft like Hercules C-130 can land easily on it.

Benefits of Purvanchal Expressway

This expressway has changed the face of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

• Time Saving: The journey from Lucknow to Ghazipur which was earlier 8-10 hours, has now been reduced to 4-5 hours.
• Economic Development: Its construction has boosted trade and industry in the area.
• Better Connectivity: Reaching religious and tourist places like Ayodhya, Varanasi and Prayagraj is now easier than ever.

This expressway truly symbolizes the development of the “New Uttar Pradesh”, opening new avenues of progress for millions of people.