Ganga Expressway is an under-construction, long, 6-lane (expandable to 8 lanes), greenfield expressway along the Ganges connecting eastern and western boundaries of Uttar Pradesh state in India.
History
2007: Conception
In 2007, Ganga Expressway was initially proposed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister (CM), Mayawati as Greater Noida–Ballia Expressway,[
]
2019: Project revival
In 2019 the project was revived by the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath,
2019-2026: Phase-1 construction
The total expected project cost in 2021 was ₹37,350 , including the land acquisition cost of around ₹9,500 crores.
UPEIDA divided the Phase-1 construction work into 12 packages to be constructed on Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) Model.
2025 onwards: Phase-2 construction
Phase-2 was approved in January 2025, paving the way for preparation of pre-construction DPR (Detailed Project Report).[
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Route
Phase-1
Main route
The 594 km long Ganga Expressway Phase-1 alignment, from west to east, is as follows
| + Ganga Expressway Phase-1 (594 km) alignment: Meerut–Prayagraj
! District !! Alignment / key locations |
| Bijauli village near Kharkhauda on NH-334 |
| Simbhaoli |
| Hingwara; Upper Ganga Canal Expressway begins here; Siana village — crosses the Ganga via Siyana–Rukhalu bridge |
| Rukhalu village — Ganga crossing via Siyana–Rukhalu bridge |
| Isapur Sunwari; Chandausi |
| Binawar; Dataganj |
| Jalalabad |
| Sandi; Bilgram |
| Unnao city |
| Dalmau; Unchahar; Balipur |
| Lalganj |
| Judapur Dandu village near Soraon on NH-19 |
Spurs
Phase-1 Interchanges
The types of interchanges are listed west to east:
Legends: NH is National Highways, SH is State Highways, MDR is Major District Road, and ODR is Other District Road.
| + Major interchanges along the Ganga Expressway
! Highway/Expressway !! Location/Description !! Type |
| — |
| Trumpet |
| Diamond |
| Diamond |
| Diamond |
| Diamond |
| Double Trumpet |
| Diamond |
| Double Trumpet |
| Double Trumpet |
| Diamond |
| Double Trumpet |
| Double Trumpet |
| Diamond |
| Double Trumpet |
| Double Trumpet |
| — |
Phase-2
Main route
The Phase-2, of 453 km length, includes the following extensions.[ Ganga Expressway extension: NCR to Bihar set to get one new route with announcement of 2 big expressways, NDTV, 23 Jan 2025.] Please help expand the exact alignment with important towns and intersections with NH, SH, and expressways along the way.
Meerut-Haridwar: Upper Ganges Canal Expressway
Upper Ganges Canal Expressway (Spur-1 or Hapur Expressway or Bulandshahr-Meerut-Haridwar Expressway): The Government of Uttar Pradesh decided to extend the expressway 110 km northwest i.e. Meerut to Haridwar.[ At Haridwar it will connect to the Char Dham Highway and Char Dham Railway.][ Ganga expressway project achieves 69% completion, aiming for enhanced connectivity and economic growth, propnewstime.com, 21 Jan 2025.]
Prayagraj-Ballia
Prayagraj-Ballia Expressway (Spur-2): 314 eastward extension from Prayagraj to Ballia via Varanasi.[
]
Spurs
Please help expand this by listing additional spurs off the two planned extensions (Meerut-Haridwar and Prayagraj-Ballia):
Phase-2 interchanges
Listed west to east (please help expand the partial list):
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Upper Ganges Canal Expressway (Meerut-Haridwar section):
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Delhi–Dehradun Expressway (Saharanpur-Haridwar Spur)
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Char Dham Highway
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Prayagraj-Ballia section:
Economic use
Ganga Industrial corridor
Area along the Ganga Expressway is being developed as the industrial corridor. New Industries are coming up around Meerut, Baduan, Kanpur, Varanasi and Prayagraj.
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Meerut, In 2023, Uttar Pradesh government acquired the land to set up an industrial city in Meerut, adjacent to entry and exit points of the expressway.
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Kanpur, after the completion of both phases, will serve as a major node for economic and industrial activity, as it will be the central point of the expressway, with many projects planned in the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and Awadh Expressway region.
Military airstrip
Sections of Ganga Expressway have bene constructed to operate as the airstip for the Indian Military. Indian Air Force fighter jets and transport aircraft conducted landing and take-off drills on 2 May 2025 from a -long Road runway on the Expressway near Shahjahanpur with several types of aircraft which included Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, MiG-29, SEPECAT Jaguar, C-130J Super Hercules, An-32, and the Mi-17 V5 helicopter.
Current status
Phase-1: Meerut-Prayagraj
The Ganga Expressway project, first proposed in 2007, was revived and officially relaunched by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on 29 January 2019. Planned to run broadly parallel to the Ganga river while maintaining a 10 km distance to meet environmental norms, the expressway is being executed in phases, with the 594 km Phase-1 connecting Meerut to Prayagraj.
By 2020, ₹2,000 crore was allocated for construction, and land acquisition accelerated through 2021, reaching over 90% by August that year. The project received environmental clearance in November 2021, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone on 18 December 2021. Contracts were awarded to Adani Enterprises and IRB Infrastructure, and physical construction began in April 2022.
By late 2023, major groundwork—including clearing, grubbing, and initial earthworks—was largely completed, and the Uttar Pradesh government also announced an industrial city near Meerut, adjacent to the expressway. As of October 2025, Phase-1 had achieved 99% earthwork, 97% GSB, 98% WMM, 97% DBM in Main Carriageway, and 1,496 of 1,500 structures completed, with overall progress at about 89%.
Phase 2
Phase-2 includes two spur routes. Spur-1 (Meerut–Haridwar) received a ₹50 crore budget allocation in February 2025 for pre-construction activities.[Hindustan Times: "U.P. Budget: Ganga Expressway extension, sports university get major boost in Meerut" (February 20, 2025).][Patrika: "Ganga Expressway to Connect Haridwar and Varanasi: A Boon for Travellers" (February 21, 2025).] Spur-2 (Prayagraj–Ballia) remains in pre-construction, with surveys completed by UPEIDA in 2024 and preparatory work ongoing as of August 2025.
See also
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Expressways in Uttar Pradesh
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Ludhiana-Siliguri Industrial Corridor
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Gorakhpur–Siliguri Expressway
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Ambala-Shamli Expressway
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Purvanchal Expressway
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Bundelkhand Expressway
