6 vertical high-speed roads, 2,300 km: UP plans massive North-South corridor network. Here’s the plan

Currently, almost all major expressways in the state — Yamuna Expressway, Lucknow-Agra, Purvanchal and even the soon-to-be-inaugurated Ganga Expressway — go from West to East, leaving districts, especially in the Terai belt, without high-speed roads (except the Gorakhpur Link Expressway).

Sources said this will change once the ‘North-South’ corridor is completed, as it will cover parts of Western, Central and Eastern UP, spanning districts neighbouring the Indo-Nepal border in the North towards districts in Bundelkhand or parts of East UP in the South.

Sources said once connected with the existing NHAI network, it will provide high-speed connectivity from UP districts not only to Madhya Pradesh but also to Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, boosting trade and economic activity in the districts along the route.

Officials said the aim is to also make these corridors fast-speed trade routes.

What’s on the anvil?

The project includes construction of new greenfield roads as well as upgrading and strengthening existing ones that fall on the proposed routes.

Officials also said the Public Works Department (PWD) is the nodal agency undertaking the project and co-ordinating with other departments,

Officials noted that some stretches of the planned road network are already four-lane and require only strengthening or widening. For stretches designated as National Highways, support will be sought from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

What are the proposed routes?

1. Ikauna to Prayagraj

Length: 262 km

Areas it will connect: From Ikauna in Shravasti district near the Indo-Nepal border, this proposed route will pass through Balrampur, Ayodhya, Sultanpur and Pratapgarh districts from Central UP before reaching Prayagraj.

A map of the six proposed high-speed roads.

2. Kushinagar to Zamania

Length: Around 200 km

Areas it will connect: From Kushinagar near the Bihar border, it will pass through Deoria, Dohri Ghat, Ballia and Ghazipur.

3. Pipari to Prayagraj

Length: 300 km

Areas it will connect: Starting from Pipari near the Indo-Nepal border, it will pass through Bansi in Sidharthanagar district before reaching Prayagraj. It will traverse Basti, Ambedkarnagar, Azamgarh and Kanpur districts. This route is expected to cross Purvanchal Expressway.

4. Lakhimpur to Banda

Length: 500 km

Areas it will connect: From Lakhimpur Kheri in the north to Banda in the Bundelkhand region, it will pass through Sitapur, Unnao and Lucknow in Central UP. It will also traverse through Sitapur and Nawabganj.

5. Bareilly to Lalitpur

Length: Around 500 km

Areas it will connect: It will traverse Agra and Jhansi. This will touch the Madhya Pradesh border on the one end and is also likely to touch Rajasthan.

6. Mustafabad to Harpalpur: 

Length: Around 500 km

Areas it will connect: This road is proposed from the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, covering Mahoba in Bundelkhand, Shahjahanpur, Auraiya, Jalaun and Hamirpur.

What do officials say?

Tabling the annual budget in the State Assembly on February 11, Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said in his Budget speech, “The State Budget has proposed a provision of around Rs 400 crore for the widening, strengthening and construction of roads under the North-South corridor initiative.”

“The project will be implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department (UPPWD). The proposed grid aims to reduce travel time between district headquarters and the state capital, while improving passenger movement and freight transportation across regions,” said an official.

“The Public Works Department has included five road sections covering 164 km in its annual work plan for 2025-26 for upgradation,” the official added.