Lucknow: The Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government have agreed to accelerate major highway and transport infrastructure projects across the state, where approximately ₹1.94 lakh crore has been invested in National Highways and nearly 9,329 kilometres of road projects have been completed since 2014.
The progress and future expansion of the state’s road network were reviewed during a meeting between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday.
The discussions covered projects proposed or implemented by the National Highways Authority of India, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Uttar Pradesh government. The two governments also reaffirmed their commitment to resolving delays related to land acquisition, forest clearances, utility shifting and departmental approvals.
“Modern road infrastructure forms the foundation of a Viksit Uttar Pradesh and will provide fresh momentum to investment, industry, agriculture, tourism, trade, and employment,” Adityanath said.
Gadkari described Uttar Pradesh as an important contributor to India’s economic growth and placed the development of modern road connectivity among the Centre’s leading infrastructure priorities.
“Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a key driver of India’s economic growth, making the development of world-class road connectivity in the state one of the Central Government’s highest priorities,” he said.
He directed officials to speed up project execution by ensuring that land acquisition, forest permissions, utility relocation and other procedural requirements are completed on time. In infrastructure development, the road itself is often the straightforward part; the paperwork can occasionally prove to be the longer journey.
10,204 km of highway projects awarded since 2014
The NHAI chairman informed the meeting that approximately 10,204 kilometres of National Highway projects had been awarded in Uttar Pradesh since 2014. Of these, construction covering nearly 9,329 kilometres has been completed.
Between April 2025 and May 2026, authorities approved 606 kilometres of new projects and completed another 1,010 kilometres of National Highways in the state.
Overall investment in National Highway projects across Uttar Pradesh has reached approximately ₹1.94 lakh crore, including nearly ₹23,445 crore during the 2025-26 financial year.
Officials attributed the increased pace of construction partly to administrative measures introduced by the state government. These include the formation of a task force headed by the Chief Secretary, the supply of royalty-free soil for greenfield projects, state participation in land-acquisition costs for ring roads and bypasses, and the transfer of government land without cost for approved projects.
“The positive impact of effective coordination between the Centre and the state is clearly visible in the progress of these projects,” Gadkari said.
Major corridors under construction
Several large National Highway projects currently under construction were reviewed during the meeting.
These include the approximately ₹13,980-crore Mathura-Bareilly-Sitarganj four-lane project and the ₹5,904-crore Agra-Aligarh four-lane highway.
Officials also reviewed the Agra-Gwalior-Jhansi-Nagpur Economic Corridor, the Kanpur Ring Road, the six-lane link to Noida International Airport at Jewar, and the four- and six-lane Moradabad-Kashipur project.
According to the government, these roads are progressing according to schedule and are expected to improve connectivity between the National Capital Region, western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and major industrial and logistics centres.
The broader road-development programme is also expected to strengthen connectivity between Ayodhya and Jewar, as well as between Sonauli on the India-Nepal border and Prayagraj.
Gadkari calls for tree transplantation
Environmental concerns associated with the Bareilly Bypass project were also discussed, particularly the proposed removal of trees.
“Instead of cutting trees, they should be transplanted using modern technology,” Gadkari said.
He said development and environmental conservation must proceed together, with modern transplantation methods used wherever feasible. The instruction signals an effort to ensure that faster roads do not automatically come with fewer trees.
Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bundelkhand connectivity reviewed
Projects aimed at improving connectivity across eastern and central Uttar Pradesh and the Bundelkhand region were also examined.
Work is under way on the Sonauli-Gorakhpur four-lane highway, the Ghazipur-Ballia-Bihar border National Highway, the Prayagraj Southern Ring Road and the Prayagraj-Jaunpur-Azamgarh-Doharighat corridor.
The government expects these projects to improve access to the India-Nepal border, the Buddhist tourism circuit, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They are also intended to facilitate the movement of freight and support trade and tourism.
Officials said the Ayodhya Ring Road would provide smoother access to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Maharishi Valmiki International Airport and other prominent religious sites while diverting through-traffic away from the city.
Religious tourism projects gather pace
The review included three road projects of religious and cultural importance: the Ram Van Gaman Marg, Ram Janaki Marg and 84 Kosi Parikrama Marg.
Officials said construction was progressing rapidly on the routes, which are planned to provide improved road links between Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Janakpur in Nepal and other pilgrimage destinations.
“These projects are not merely aimed at improving road connectivity but will also provide new momentum to India’s cultural heritage, religious tourism, and local economies,” Adityanath said.
The meeting also examined ropeway projects proposed by National Highways Logistics Management Limited in Vrindavan and Prayagraj.
“Integrating religious and spiritual tourism with modern transport facilities is among the state government’s priorities,” the Chief Minister said, directing departments to complete pending approvals and procedural requirements.
Shamli-Gorakhpur highway among future proposals
Officials presented progress reports on strategically important future projects, including the Ayodhya-Gonda and Rewa-Ranchi four-lane National Highways, for which Detailed Project Reports are being prepared.
The proposed 742-kilometre Shamli-Gorakhpur four-lane access-controlled National Highway was also reviewed. The corridor is intended to create a high-capacity road link between western and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
“This ambitious corridor will redefine connectivity between western and eastern Uttar Pradesh and will be of immense significance for industrial growth, investment, agriculture-based economy, and strategic development,” Adityanath said.
Other approved and proposed works reviewed during the meeting included the Deva-Fatehpur four-lane road, Vrindavan Bypass, Kasia-Paniahwa National Highway, Hadia Chauraha-Karmaini Ghat road, Kudarkot-Bela Chowk road and the Colonelganj and West Gonda bypasses.
The proposed elevated corridor between Ramadevi and Gol Chauraha in Kanpur was also discussed.
Ten National Highway projects covering approximately 267 kilometres are currently under the tendering process, officials said, while construction on three additional projects is expected to begin shortly.
Uttar Pradesh seeks support for North-South Corridor
The state government presented a series of longer-term infrastructure proposals to the Union minister.
These included the construction of a new bridge parallel to the Naini Bridge in Prayagraj, a permanent policy for restoring state roads damaged during National Highway construction and development of a proposed North-South Corridor.
“Connecting different parts of the state through a high-capacity north-south road network is crucial for economic growth, industrial investment, and balanced regional development,” Adityanath said.
Gadkari acknowledged the importance of the proposals and assured the state that they would be considered positively.
The Centre also indicated that it would support the development of the North-South Corridor, which is intended to provide stronger connectivity between different regions of Uttar Pradesh.
Four-lane links planned for more districts
The meeting discussed expanding the National Highway network and gradually upgrading roads that currently have two lanes or are narrower.
Plans include providing full four-lane connectivity between Lucknow and districts that do not currently have such access, along with the development of four-lane National Highways connecting 33 district headquarters.
Proposed ring roads in Moradabad, Aligarh, Devipatan, Jhansi, Mirzapur and Saharanpur were reviewed. Bypass proposals for Farrukhabad, Shravasti and Maharajganj were also discussed.
“Providing high-quality road infrastructure to every region of the state remains a top priority,” Adityanath said.
The two governments also considered financial support for road projects and the construction of modern entry gateways along Uttar Pradesh’s interstate borders.
Road safety must keep pace with construction
Gadkari cautioned that rapid highway expansion must be accompanied by stronger measures to reduce accidents.
He directed agencies to incorporate safer engineering designs, modern signage and scientific correction of accident-prone black spots into every National Highway project. Officials were also instructed to ensure strict compliance with road-safety standards.
The Union minister said reducing road accidents should receive the same degree of attention as constructing new roads — a reminder that the success of a highway is measured not only by how quickly vehicles move, but also by how safely they arrive.
Adityanath linked the infrastructure programme to Uttar Pradesh’s ambition of developing into a one-trillion-dollar economy.
“The rapid expansion of road infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh will provide fresh momentum to the state’s goal of becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy. Improved National Highways will create new opportunities for investment, industry, agriculture, tourism, trade, and employment across the state,” he said.
The scale of investment and the number of projects under construction underline the role roads are expected to play in Uttar Pradesh’s next phase of growth. Their wider economic impact, however, will depend on whether the Centre and the state can maintain the current pace while addressing land, environmental and safety concerns — ensuring that the state’s infrastructure journey is both fast and firmly on the right track.
