Ganga Expressway: Foundation stone of India's longest highway laid by PM Modi in Shahjahanpur

Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the longest highway in India, the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the six-lane 594 km long expressway will be built at a cost of about INR 36200 crore.

Launching the project, the PM said, “Today is the historic day when work is going to start on longest expressway". The PMO said that the inspiration behind the expressway is the vision of Prime Minister Modi to offer fast paced connectivity in India. The expressway will begin from close to the Bijauli village along National Highway 334 in Meerut and go on till near the Judapur Dandu village near bypass of NH-2 in Prayagraj. The highway will pass through Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, RaeBareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj.
Not only this, a 3.5 km long air strip will also be built in Shahjahanpur for assisting emergency landing and take off of Air Force planes. The PMO in its statement also mentioned that an industrial corridor is also proposed to be constructed along the expressway.

The PMO spokesperson said, "It will boost the income of agriculture, commerce, tourism and industries and will also serve as an industrial corridor".
Some 18,55,000 saplings will also be planted along the expressway to protect the environment. The highway will feature seven railway overbridges, nine public convenience centres and 381 underpasses.