Lucknow: Commuters travelling from Delhi, NCR, Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra to Jhansi and Chitrakoot are set to get seamless connectivity, with Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) finalising construction agencies for two key link expressways that will plug major gaps in the Bundelkhand Expressway network.The projects, comprising the 106.3-km Jhansi Link Expressway and the 15.2-km Chitrakoot Link Expressway, are expected to bring Bundelkhand’s economic and religious hubs directly onto Uttar Pradesh’s expanding expressway grid.Once completed, motorists will no longer have to leave access-controlled corridors and negotiate conventional highways, local roads and urban traffic to reach Jhansi or Chitrakoot Dham.
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The development is expected to benefit residents, pilgrims, traders, manufacturers and businesses across Bundelkhand. UPEIDA is preparing to begin construction work on both corridors, which are being developed as extensions of the 296-km Bundelkhand Expressway.While Bundelkhand Expressway already provides high-speed connectivity between Chitrakoot and Etawah, travellers bound for Chitrakoot Dham currently have to leave the expressway and use local roads for the final stretch. The proposed Chitrakoot Link Expressway will provide a direct connection to the pilgrimage town, improving access to the ghats of Mandakini River. The link route would also improve accessibility within UP for residents of Madhya Pradesh as families staying in Satna and Rewa districts are expected to use Chitrakoot Dham Link Expressway and Bundelkhand Expressway to reach Agra, Lucknow and NCR.Similarly, Jhansi Link Expressway, being executed in two packages, will directly connect Jhansi with Bundelkhand Expressway near Jalaun. The project is expected to significantly improve regional mobility by integrating one of Bundelkhand’s largest urban centres with the state’s expressway network.Additional chief executive officer, UPEIDA, Shrihari Pratap Shahi said the financial bids were evaluated by Public-Private Partnership Bid Evaluation Committee (PPPBEC) chaired by Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner Alok Kumar.UPEIDA is expected to award the Chitrakoot Link Expressway contract to MKC Infrastructure Limited. For Jhansi Link Expressway, Package-I is set to be developed by MKC Infrastructure Limited, while Package-II is likely to be executed by LLC Volgodorstrol.The projects are also expected to strengthen connectivity to UP Defence Industrial Corridor and the Bundelkhand Industrial Development Authority (BIDA) region.
