The 63-kilometer-long expressway connecting Lucknow and Kanpur is anticipated to be opened for regular traffic by May 31. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to flag off the first vehicle on the expressway in the coming days.
Project Details and Benefits
The six-lane expressway, designated as National Expressway 6, has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 3,700 crore. It will significantly reduce travel time between the two major cities from the current two hours to just 45 minutes. The expressway is designed to allow a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour.
Recent Developments
The project gained importance after the Prime Minister's Office sought details from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Monday. Subsequently, the ministry contacted the Uttar Pradesh West regional office of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Lucknow on the same day.
Since then, NHAI officials, along with senior administrative officers in Unnao, have been working on creating an outline for the inauguration program. The public address by the Prime Minister and other dignitaries may take place at Amaras, a village in Unnao located about 51 kilometers from the expressway's starting point in Lucknow. A large vacant space is available at the site as a wayside amenity, which will cater to commuters and is connected via entry and exit ramps.
Logistical Arrangements
Located next to the Unnao-Lalganj national highway, the site offers easy parking for buses and other vehicles transporting the public and party workers. With excitement building, senior officials from MoRTH and NHAI headquarters in Delhi are scheduled to visit the site and inspect the project on May 23.
Tolling System
In another positive development, motor vehicle owners will experience a barrier-less and lane-free tolling system when entering the expressway from Lucknow city. However, when entering or exiting from Kanpur or other four entry and exit ramps, vehicle owners will have to use the conventional toll plaza system.
A car owner will have to pay Rs 275 to cover the 63-kilometer expressway, which connects Miranpur Pinvat village in Sarojininagar, Lucknow, to Ata village in Unnao. Vehicle owners will then need to travel an additional 5.5 kilometers to reach the Jajmau Ganga bridge before entering Kanpur.
Officials added that an official communication is awaited, after which the high-speed, access-controlled expressway will be opened to the public.
