New Delhi: The road journey between Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal is soon going to be completed in just six hours instead of the 12-14 hours taken currently. Commuters travelling from Varanasi to Kolkata by road are soon going to have a smooth ride after construction for 710-kilometre six-lane Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway is completed.
The project is being built at the cost of Rs 35,000 crore. While the foundation stone for Ranchi Kolkata Expressway was laid on February 23, 2024, this new route will also connect Kolkata with Varanasi, apart from the Grant Trunk road. This expressway will also connect Ranchi and other important cities. Also, those traveling from Gorakhpur, Mau, Azamgarh, Ballia, Jaunpur, Prayag, Ghazipur, Lucknow, and Delhi will be able to reach Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal via Chandauli
The expressway includes a 27 km-long highway from Varanasi to Chandauli
According to SK Arya, a senior official with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the greenfield project also includes the 27-kilometre-long highway from Varanasi to Chandauli, work of which has already started. He added that the new expressway will also provide an alternative route for the commuters.
Notably, once the expressway comes into being, it will not only reduce the travel hours of commuters but will also help in the economy of the region. Vehicles carrying vegetables and other items will be able to reach their destinations quicker than before.
Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway likely to be completed by next year
Once completed, the expressway will meet NH-16 near Uluberia in the Howrah district of West Bengal. At the moment, most of the traffic moves through NH-19. The expressway is expected to be completed by next year. The committee led by the Union Road Transport and Highways secretary finalised the proposed expressway in 2021. Notably, Expressways are the highest class of roads across the country. By December last year, India had a total length of 6,059 km of expressways across the country.
