During the season of festivals, the government of Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh has added another facility for people- a 341km long Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh has been launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi landed on the Purvanchal Expressway in an Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. It will connect state capital Lucknow with Ghazipur in eastern Uttar Pradesh. It will be the longest operational expressway of India, overtaking Agra-Lucknow Expressway, which is 302 km long. PM laid the foundation stone of the expressway in July 2018 in Azamgarh and inaugurated it in Sultanpur three years later.

The PM addressed a large gathering in Sultanpur after the inauguration and said that Purvanchal Expressway will unite UP. He said, ‘When I laid the foundation stone of Purvanchal Expressway three years back, I had never thought that I will land here on an aircraft one day. This highway will benefit the poor, middle class, farmers, and traders,’ A 3.2 km airstrip has also been constructed on the expressway that will be a great facility for emergency landing of fighter aircraft. The estimated cost of the expressway is Rs 22,500 crore and this six lanes expressway will include Barabanki, Amethi, Ayodhya, and Ambedkar Nagar. The construction of this expressway will not only benefit the people of UP but also the people of Bihar; the journey from Delhi to Bihar will be much easier with the connectivity of expressways from Delhi-Yamuna expressway to Agra, then Agra-Lucknow expressway to Lucknow, and then from Lucknow to Gazipur which is just 20 km away from Bihar border.

Features of the Expressway project-

• Purvanchal Expressway can be expanded to eight lanes in the future, currently, it is a six-lane expressway.
• Along the expressway, the industrial hub will be developed. It would be beneficial in the development of the eastern region.
• It will enable the traveler to reach eastern UP from Delhi in 10 hours by driving, reducing the travel time. The speed limit is 120 kmph but for safety reasons, vehicles will be allowed to run at 100 kmph.
• The expressway has the facility of CNG stations, electric vehicle recharge stations, 22 flyovers, seven railway-over-bridges, seven major bridges, and 114 minor bridges.
• It will be connected with the defense corridor via Agra and Bundelkhand expressways. Before the arrival of PM Modi, several trials have already been conducted by IAF aircraft.
• With a 3300m long airstrip on the expressway, UP has become the first state in India to have two airstrips on the expressway.
• The construction of the expressway will be a milestone in the growth and development of the industrial, commerce, and tourism sectors.

The construction of the expressway has got a political twist when SP leader Akhilesh Yadav remarked that the BJP government wants to take credit for the construction ahead of the UP-Assembly polls and they have compromised on the quality by cutting down the cost of its construction. PM has also commented that the previous government did not cooperate with the center, now he has got the opportunity to serve the nation so he will be into the minute details of its development.