Ganga Expressway nearing inauguration: What the BJP hopes it will do for UP
Completed in four years at a cost of Rs 36,230 crore, the Ganga Expressway is set to reduce the travel time from Meerut to Prayagraj from about 12 hours to 6-8 hours. Here's why the BJP's hopes are riding high on it.
The 594-km long, 6-lane, access-controlled Ganga Expressway from Meerut to Prayagraj, one of the longest expressways in the country built in one state, is almost complete and ready for inauguration next month, most likely by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In Uttar Pradesh, where elections are due next year and where the expressway will impact over 60 Assembly constituencies directly and indirectly, it is being seen as more than an infrastructure project. The Indian Express looks at all the aspects of the project, which is set to reduce the travel time from Meerut to Prayagraj from about 12 hours to 6-8 hours.
The Ganga Expressway project
Completed in four years at a cost of Rs 36,230 crore, the Ganga Expressway provies east-to-west connectivity, starting from Bijauli in the Meerut district and ending at Judapur Dandu in Prayagraj district, passing through Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj. It covers a total of 518 villages across 7,463 hectares of land.
“While the construction is complete, some minor works and trial runs remain, which are being conducted right now. We expect the project to be inaugurated anytime after February 15, whenever we get the time from the dignitaries,” a senior officer of the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority, the nodal agency for the project, said.
The project has been designed to accommodate vehicle speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour.
Construction
The project has been built in four separate stretches, three by Adani Infrastructure and one by IRB Infrastructure.
The construction includes 14 long bridges, including a 900-metre bridge on the Ganga in Hapur district, and a 720-metre bridge on the Ram Ganga in Badaun. Other structures include seven railway overbridges, 32 flyovers, and 453 underpasses.
A 3.5-kilometre airstrip has also been built in the Jalalabad tehsil of Shahjahanpur district along the expressway, which can be used for emergency landing and takeoff operations. The Air Force had conducted its first test run here on May 2, 2025.
Story continues below this ad
Political and economic significance
A similar project was conceptualised in 2007 by the government of Mayawati, who even laid the foundation stone in 2008 in Ballia. That project could never materialise. It failed to get environmental clearances as it was planned along the alignment of the Ganga at various places.
The fresh project was planned with a different alignment in 2021. While laying its foundation stone then, PM Modi had declared that the project would bring new industry, new jobs and new opportunities for the youth of the region. UP was due for polls in 2022, and the PM had given the slogan “UP+Yogi=bahut hai UPYOGI (UP and its CM Yogi Adityanath are very useful).”
Now, it is set to be inaugurated ahead of the next state elections.
The expressway is expected to give “fresh momentum to the state’s economic development” and “political mileage” to the BJP, officials said. Since it connects Prayagraj, the government is also hoping to boost religious tourism, considering that a huge number of pilgrims had travelled to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh via road. Out of the 12 Lok Sabha constituencies the project covers, five were won by the INDI alliance – three by SP and two by Congress, including Rahul Gandhi’s Rae Bareli — while the rest are with the BJP.
Story continues below this ad
This would be the fifth major expressway project in Uttar Pradesh, with the first one being the Yamuna Expressway, developed under Mayawati, and the second being the Lucknow-Agra Expressway developed during the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP regime. The Purvanchal and Bundelkhand expressways were developed in Yogi Adityanath’s previous tenure. The Ganga Expressway is a longer and more ambitious project than these.
Maulshree Seth is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, based in Lucknow. With over 15 years of experience in mainstream journalism, she has built a formidable reputation for her on-ground reporting across Uttar Pradesh. Her expertise spans a wide array of critical beats, including state politics, governance, the judiciary, and rural development.
Authoritativeness Maulshree’s work is characterized by depth and historical context. Her coverage of high-stakes state elections and landmark judicial rulings has established her as an authoritative voice on the intersection of law and politics in Northern India. She is frequently recognized for her ability to gain access to primary sources and for her nuanced understanding of the socio-economic factors that drive the world's most populous sub-national entity.
Trustworthiness & Ethical Journalism Her reporting is rooted in rigorous fact-checking and a steadfast dedication to neutral, unbiased storytelling. By prioritizing field-based verification—often traveling to the most remote corners of the state—she ensures that her readers receive a truthful and comprehensive view of events. ... Read More
