Lucknow: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the Lucknow–Kanpur Six-Lane Expressway and the Lucknow–Hardoi Four-Lane Highway, collectively developed at a cost of over ₹4,850 crore by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The leaders also laid the foundation stone for a four-lane flyover at the Engineering College Chauraha in Lucknow.
The flagship 63-kilometre Lucknow–Kanpur Expressway, constructed at an approximate cost of ₹4,200 crore, is expected to significantly improve connectivity between Lucknow, Unnao and Kanpur, reducing travel time while ensuring safer and more comfortable journeys. Rajnath Singh described the project as a transformative infrastructure initiative that would benefit not only the three districts but the entire state of Uttar Pradesh.
Praising Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Singh said the projects had been completed in record time and credited him with creating a next-generation infrastructure network across the country. He also lauded Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for accelerating Uttar Pradesh’s development under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the state has emerged as one of India’s fastest-growing regions.
Highlighting the strategic importance of the expressway, Singh said Lucknow and Kanpur are major nodes of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor. He noted that Lucknow houses the BrahMos missile integration centre and important defence research facilities, while Kanpur has a long-standing defence manufacturing base. Improved connectivity between the two cities, he said, would strengthen logistics, supply chains and movement between defence establishments, further supporting India’s goal of defence self-reliance.
The Defence Minister emphasised that better road connectivity stimulates industrial growth, trade, investment and employment. He said the expressway would extend development to smaller towns and villages by reducing transportation costs, improving market access for businesses and farmers, and creating new economic opportunities for young people across the region.
The second major project dedicated to the public was the four-laning of National Highway-731 between Lucknow and Hardoi, developed at a cost of around ₹541 crore. Singh said the upgraded highway would improve travel between Lucknow Ring Road and Hardoi and eventually provide seamless connectivity from Ghazipur through Lucknow to Palia, benefiting eastern Uttar Pradesh, particularly border districts. The project is also expected to reduce freight costs and enable farmers to transport produce to markets more efficiently.
The foundation stone was also laid for a four-lane flyover at Engineering College Chauraha, one of Lucknow’s busiest traffic intersections. The flyover is expected to ease congestion by connecting the Sitapur and Ayodhya highways while streamlining traffic from Jankipuram, Jankipuram Extension and vehicles arriving from the Polytechnic, Khurram Nagar and Tedhi Pulia flyovers. According to Singh, the project will provide a long-term solution to chronic traffic jams at the junction.
During his address, Rajnath Singh also announced that the Chief Minister has approved the widening of an approximately 50-kilometre road connecting Gosainganj, Mohanlalganj, Bani and Harauni into a four-lane corridor. He said the road would integrate the Purvanchal, Lucknow–Kanpur and Agra expressways while linking several important national highways, creating a stronger transport network across the region.
The Defence Minister highlighted the rapid expansion of Lucknow’s urban infrastructure, including a network of flyovers and underpasses at major intersections, the development of Gomti Nagar Railway Terminal, the modernisation of Charbagh, Aishbagh, City Station, Daliganj and Badshahnagar railway stations, construction of new railway station buildings and road overbridges, and the expansion of the Lucknow Metro. He noted that work has already begun on the nearly 11-kilometre east-west corridor of Metro Phase II from Charbagh to Vasant Kunj following recent approval.
Singh said such infrastructure investments generate employment across sectors including transport, logistics, hospitality and construction while improving the overall quality of life. He expressed confidence that Lucknow is steadily evolving into a metropolitan economic hub and that Uttar Pradesh is on course to become one of India’s strongest economic engines through improved connectivity and industrial development.
Concluding his address, the Defence Minister urged citizens to protect and maintain the newly built infrastructure by following traffic rules and ensuring public assets remain well preserved. He said sustained development, good governance and modern infrastructure would strengthen India’s global standing while ensuring that farmers, entrepreneurs, youth and citizens across all sections of society benefit from the state’s continuing growth.
