UP’s road and bridge infrastructure to get major revamp with Rs 28,000 crore funding, Infra News, ET Infra

LUCKNOW: In a major boost to Uttar Pradesh road and bridge infrastructure, the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) has sanctioned a whopping Rs 28,506 crore to Uttar Pradesh, of the total budget of Rs 1.11 lakh crore for the entire nation.

According to officials, this is the highest-ever fund allocation for the state and also in the country.

Last year, UP was allotted Rs 13,000 crore, but this year it’s 25 per cent of the total sanctioned amount for the country.

The decision was given final assent after Union minister Nitin Gadkari met with UP state PWD minister Jitin Parsada and other officials of NH PWD.

According to a statement issued by the government, “The funds will be used for construction of ring roads, flyovers, railway over bridges”.

“Rs 5,000 crore will be invested in introducing new technology to construct bridges on railway crossings. This will create more technical jobs in the civil engineering sector. Further, under a one-time maintenance policy, concrete roads will be constructed in those areas which are left behind after the construction of the bypass highway. This will also include construction of a utility duct,” read the statement.

During the meeting, the Union minister suggested the UP government sign an MoU with NHAI to develop and widen the four-lane highways to six lanes under the PPP model.

National Highways passing via UP would be developed as Green highways.

According to officials of NH PWD, bamboo crash barriers will be installed along the road in the state instead of metal railings. Further, crumbs of old tires rubber will be mixed in bitumen to make highway roads more durable and stronger.

Union government and the World Bank have signed an agreement for the construction of the Green National Highway Corridors Project (GNHCP) in an aggregate length of 781km in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh, with loan assistance of US $ 500 million against total project cost of US $ 1288.24 million (Rs 7,662.47 crore).