Touted to be one of the longest expressways, Ganga Expressway is an ambitious project of both central and state government. The project first took off in 2007 but stuck in midway due to various reasons. But, now the UP government is planning to kick-start the project again with a fast-pace development.
As per the officials, the expressway will be constructed on 6,500 hectares of land and the expected cost of the project is Rs 36,000 crore. It will be developed in two phases and will comprise of 5 bridges, 8 Roads Over Bridges (RoBs) and 18 flyovers.
The first phase of 596 km will be constructed from Meerut to Prayagraj (Allahabad) and the deadline to complete the work is December 2020. It will pass through 12 districts of Uttar Pradesh namely Meerut, Amroha, Hapur, Budaun, Sambhal, Farrukhabad, Shahjahanpur, Unnao, Hardoi, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj.
However, in Phase-2 of the project, a 314 km of stretch will be developed from Prayagraj to Balia along with a 110 km road from Tigri to UP-Uttarakhand Border.
Impact on Real Estate Market and Infrastructure
The Ganga Expressway will significantly impact the real estate market of the various towns and cities from where it will pass. Experts suggest that in future, the expressway will also enhance connectivity to the various tourist and pilgrimage centers of the state such as Prayagraj, Varanasi, Agra, Uttarakhand, etc.
At present, the state government has already announced various infrastructure projects and setting up of food processing industries and Special Economic Zones (SEZ) along the expressway that will not only boost the residential real estate market but will also create job opportunities in the region. Once the project will be completed, it will add thrust to various markets of the whole Uttar Pradesh.