The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a four-lane access-controlled greenfield highway project from Kanpur to Kabrai in Uttar Pradesh at a cost of Rs 7,145 crore.
The 242-km project, which will connect Kanpur to the Bundelkhand region, is part of the Kanpur-Bhopal economic corridor.
The project will reduce the travel time between Kanpur and Kabrai from 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours – 58 per cent – and will be designed for a speed range of 80-100 kmph.
“The project will provide seamless, high-speed connectivity between Kanpur and Kabrai, while strengthening onward connectivity to Sagar, Bhopal, and other parts of Madhya Pradesh, thereby creating a modern access-controlled economic corridor linking the industrial and commercial centres of Uttar Pradesh with mineral-rich, manufacturing and agricultural regions of Madhya Pradesh,” the government said in a statement.
Kabrai in the Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh is a major hub for aggregate mining and supplies materials to Kanpur and Bhopal.
Officials said the existing road in the region needs upgrading to meet rising traffic demand.
The corridor will further strengthen connectivity to the Kabrai mining belt, improving the movement of minerals, industrial goods, construction materials, and agricultural produce, enhancing logistics efficiency, supply chain resilience, and regional economic development.
It will also enable decongestion in Kanpur, Ghatampur, Hamirpur, and Kabrai, they added.
Welcoming the Union Cabinet’s decision, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his gratitude.
In a post on X, Adityanath thanked Modi for this “visionary” decision, saying that the project, developed at a cost of over Rs 7,145 crore, would further strengthen the resolve of ‘Viksit Uttar Pradesh’.
“This key project under the Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor, aligned with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, will provide seamless connectivity between the Bundelkhand Expressway and the Kanpur Ring Road,” he wrote.
“The project will make travel smoother, accelerate investment, and provide a strong foundation for the region’s industrial development,” he added.
The project will also provide connectivity with NH-34, NH-35, the Bundelkhand Expressway, Kanpur Ring Road, and State Highways SH-46, SH-91, SH-10B, and SH-42, thereby strengthening integration with the regional highway network.
Aligned with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, the statement said, the project will improve connectivity to 16 Economic Nodes, including the Unnao, Banther, Pankhi, Rania, Jainpur, Rooma, Chakeri, Sumerpur, and Bhuragarh Industrial Areas, Trans Ganga Integrated Township, Growth Centre Jaipur, Kanpur Nagar Node, and Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
It will also strengthen connectivity to nine social nodes — Fatehpur, Mahoba, Kanpur Zoological Park, Buddha Park, JK Temple & Garden, Radha Krishna Temple, Siddheshwar Mahadev Temple, Gopeshwar Mandir, and Mahoba Tourist Place.
The project will also cover 10 logistics nodes, including Kanpur, Ghatampur, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Kabrai, Bharwa Sumerpur, and Banda Railway Stations, together with Kanpur, Chakeri, and Khajuraho Airports, it said.
According to the statement, the project is expected to generate approximately 11,188 direct and 13,985 indirect person-days of employment per lane per km during construction and is projected to carry an Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) of about 18,069 Passenger Car Units (PCUs) by FY 2028.
The proposed project will thus generate close to 1.2 crore person-days of direct employment and indirect employment, it said.
The project will also provide connectivity with NH-34, NH-35, the Bundelkhand Expressway, Kanpur Ring Road, and State Highways SH-46, SH-91, SH-10B, and SH-42, thereby strengthening integration with the regional highway network. (Representational) 
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