MoRTH approves 380-km long Ghaziabad-Kanpur corridor

The Union transport ministry has cleared a 380-km long new road corridor connecting the two industrial hubs of Ghaziabad and Kanpur. Crisscrossing through nine west UP districts, the 380-km Greenfield Economic Corridor aims at reducing travel time between the two cities to just three hours as against the current six hours. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2025. According to the alignment, the corridor will pass through nine districts — Ghaziabad, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Kasganj, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Unnao and Kanpur. As of now, commuters driving on the Yamuna Expressway take around six hours, while those travelling on NH-9 need at least eight hours to cover the distance. A survey is currently underway to identify land for the project and work on the DPR has also been started. According to the plan, the four-lane corridor will initially be expanded to six at culverts and underpasses and land will also be set aside for the widening of the corridor to eight lanes in the future. The corridor will prove to be a boon for industries by cutting down the time and cost of travel and will bring economic benefits, said an official spokesperson.