India’s infrastructure is improving day by day, with officials focusing on better connectivity across cities. Now, another major achievement is on its way; the 594-kilometre-long Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh is nearing completion and will soon be open for use. Scroll down to know more!
When Is The Ganga Expressway Expected To Open?
As construction of the Ganga Expressway nears completion, officials expect it to open to the public from April 1, 2026. This project cost ₹36,200 crore. As per News18, work on the six-lane Ganga Expressway started back in 2021, and things are moving fast; trial runs and toll testing have already gone smoothly. To inaugurate the expressway, the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) says the state government has asked the Prime Minister’s Office if PM Narendra Modi can officially open it.
Is the big launch happening soon? The big launch is expected sometime between March 25 and March 31, and tolls will probably start from April 1. Not many days are left before travel gets easier. PM Modi had laid the foundation stone for the Ganga Expressway back in December 2021.
Also Read: Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway To Get 90 M Wildlife Overpass To Enable Safe Animal Movement
How Much Travel Time Will This Expressway Reduce?
Once this expressway is up and running, the travel time between Meerut and Prayagraj is expected to drop from around 12 hours to just 6–7 hours — basically cutting the journey in half! News18 reported that according to UPEIDA CEO Shrihari Pratap Shahi, the expressway links up with the Meerut-Hapur highway near Bijouli village and meets the Fafamau-Pratapgarh highway near Judapur Dandu village in Prayagraj.
Along the way, 1,498 structures were completed ahead of schedule. Right now, they’re running technical trials, checking vehicle speeds and seeing how smooth the drive feels. Officials are making sure everything is on point before the launch.
The expressway passes through 12 districts, including Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh, and Prayagraj. Another important feature of this expressway is that it accelerates development in the region and connects 518 villages to the main road network.
This expressway has also thought about emergency plans, and that’s one of its cool features. It has a 3.5-kilometre-long airstrip near Shahjahanpur so planes can land in emergencies or for strategic use. As for tolls, they haven’t been officially announced yet, but sources say that cars might pay around ₹2.55 per kilometre. It means ₹1,515 for a one-way trip. Small commercial vehicles could pay roughly ₹2,405, buses and trucks around ₹4,840, heavy construction vehicles about ₹7,455, and really big vehicles with more than seven axles could pay up to ₹9,535 for a single trip.
How excited are you for the launch of this new expressway? Tell us in the comments below!
Also Read: No More Full Toll On Incomplete Expressways! Here’s What The Govt Announced
Cover Image Courtesy: X/@Indianinfoguide