New Delhi, 01 July (H.S.): The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of the 117.7-km Kanpur-Kabrai Access-Controlled Greenfield Highway, a key section of the Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor. The four-lane access-controlled corridor, with provision for future expansion to six lanes, will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 71.45 billion (Rs 7,145.14 crore).
The project was approved on Wednesday by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will be implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Build-Operate-Transfer (Toll) model. The project also includes the operation and maintenance of the existing Kanpur-Kabrai section of National Highway-34.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the Cabinet decision at a press briefing at the National Media Centre. He said the highway has been designed for an operational speed of 80-100 kmph.
The corridor is expected to reduce travel time between Kanpur and Kabrai from about 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours, a reduction of nearly 58 percent. It will also enhance road safety, lower vehicle operating costs and facilitate the efficient movement of passenger and freight traffic.
The project will provide seamless high-speed connectivity between Kanpur and Kabrai while strengthening onward connectivity to Sagar, Bhopal and other parts of Madhya Pradesh. It will establish a modern access-controlled economic corridor linking the industrial and commercial centres of Uttar Pradesh with the mineral-rich, manufacturing and agricultural regions of Madhya Pradesh, thereby improving regional economic integration.
The highway will also provide strategic connectivity with National Highways NH-34 and NH-35, the Bundelkhand Expressway, the Kanpur Ring Road, and State Highways SH-46, SH-91, SH-10B and SH-42, strengthening integration with the regional highway network.
The corridor will further improve connectivity to the Kabrai mining region, facilitating the movement of minerals, industrial goods, construction materials and agricultural produce. This is expected to enhance logistics efficiency, strengthen supply chains and promote regional economic development.
In line with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the project will improve connectivity to 16 economic nodes, including the industrial areas of Unnao, Banthar, Panki, Rania, Jainpur, Ruma, Chakeri, Sumerpur and Bhuragarh, the Trans Ganga Integrated Township, Growth Centre Jainpur, the Kanpur Nagar node, and Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Limited.
The project will also strengthen connectivity to nine social nodes, including Fatehpur, Mahoba, Kanpur Zoological Park, Buddha Park, JK Temple, JK Garden, Radha Krishna Temple, Siddheshwar Mahadev Temple, Gopeshwar Temple and the Mahoba tourist destination.
In addition, it will improve access to 10 logistics nodes, including the railway stations at Kanpur, Ghatampur, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Kabrai, Bharwa Sumerpur and Banda, as well as Kanpur, Chakeri and Khajuraho airports.
Overall, the project aims to advance the objectives of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan by improving logistics competitiveness, industrial growth and economic development across Bundelkhand and the adjoining regions of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
The project is expected to generate approximately 11,188 direct and 13,985 indirect man-days of employment per lane per kilometre during the construction phase. By the financial year 2027-28, the corridor is projected to carry an Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) of around 18,069 Passenger Car Units (PCUs), highlighting its long-term economic, logistics and transportation significance.
Overall, the proposed project is expected to generate nearly 12 million direct and indirect man-days of employment.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
