Travel between Delhi-NCR’s Ghaziabad and the Purvanchal districts of Ghazipur and Ballia is set to change. Land hurdles for the link expressway joining the Agra-Lucknow Expressway with the Purvanchal Expressway have eased.
Commuters will no longer need to cross congested urban parts of Lucknow for this long corridor.
The key breakthrough came when around three thousand farmers reached Sadar tehsil on Tuesday and agreed to provide land. Their consent cleared the immediate obstacle to building the link expressway. Officials now see a clear path to connect the state’s western and eastern ends through high-speed corridors.
Link expressway land acquisition and farmers’ consent
The link expressway was announced on 3 July last year as a major connector project. About four thousand farmers’ plots are marked for acquisition in this scheme. The land lies across 16 villages in Lucknow district and 27 villages in Unnao district. Officials said the fresh wave of consent has simplified the next construction stages.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manoj Kumar Singh welcomed farmers when they arrived at Sadar tehsil to sign consent papers. Officials believe this strong response increases chances that remaining farmers will also agree soon. Administrative teams are now focusing on completing documentation and resolving individual queries related to compensation and boundaries.
Additional District Magistrate, Finance and Revenue, Rakesh Kumar Singh said that all project hurdles ended after Tuesday’s agreements. Farmers will receive compensation equal to four times the District Magistrate’s circle rate. Rakesh Kumar Singh also stated that no middleman will be allowed in the acquisition process. Any attempt at brokerage will invite strict action, according to officials.
Lucknow-Kanpur expressway and highway projects
While the link expressway advances, the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway is already ready for opening. People are expected to use this route soon, once the formal ceremony is fixed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also lay foundation stones for two national highway projects at the same event, officials indicated.
The National Highways Authority of India is likely to receive the inauguration date shortly. Along with the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, new highway works will begin on Barabanki-Bahraich and Kanpur-Kabrai routes. Both schemes have clearance from the Union Cabinet, and funds have been sanctioned for construction.
The Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway has been built at an estimated cost of about Rs 4,700 crore. The expressway is around 63 kilometres long, including 42 kilometres of greenfield stretch. This corridor is expected to reduce travel time between the two major cities and ease pressure on the existing highway.
Between Kanpur and Kabrai, a new greenfield highway of 112 kilometres will be built. The Union Cabinet has already approved this plan, with a construction cost of over Rs 3,000 crore. The route will pass through Fatehpur and Hamirpur districts, improving links to the Bundelkhand region.
The Barabanki-Bahraich highway, currently 102 kilometres and two lanes wide, will be widened to four lanes. The Centre has sanctioned around Rs 7,000 crore for this upgrade. Land acquisition has begun, including 140 acres in Bahraich and 110 acres in Barabanki, according to project details shared by officials.
| Project | Type | Length (km) | Estimated Cost (Rs crore) | Key Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agra-Lucknow-Purvanchal link expressway | Link expressway | NA | NA | Land from about 4,000 farmers in Lucknow and Unnao |
| Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway | Expressway | 63 | 4,700 | Includes 42 km greenfield section |
| Kanpur-Kabrai Highway | Greenfield highway | 112 | Over 3,000 | Route via Fatehpur and Hamirpur |
| Barabanki-Bahraich Highway | Highway upgrade | 102 | 7,000 | Two lanes to four lanes; 250 acres land acquisition |
With farmers’ support for the link expressway and new corridors near completion or approval, Uttar Pradesh is shaping a continuous network from Delhi-NCR’s Ghaziabad to Ghazipur and Ballia. Reduced congestion in Lucknow and better highways towards Bundelkhand and Terai areas are expected as construction progresses.