Page 26 - CO_Feb_2023

COVER STORY

The Kashmir Connect The construction work for the Ganga Expressway has begun in
Giving a major push to road connectivity across Jammu and Prayagraj. The Ganga Expressway will cover cities like Meerut,
Kashmir, the UT Government is ensuring construction of 20 Km Hapur, Bulandshahr, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi,
road length and macadamization of 15 Km road stretch every Unnao, Rai Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj. Several underpasses
single day, an official spokesperson stated recently. According and interchanges will be built for the six-lane expressway. It will
to the official, 100 bridges are under construction for making an have two main toll gates – one in Prayagraj and the second in
end to frequent traffic congestion this ensuring smooth vehicular Meerut. 12 additional ramps will also be made.
movement. With construction of three of the six tunnels, including
the strategic Z-Morh tunnel expected to be completed by mid- Gorakhpur-Siliguri expressway
2023, road connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir and the National Highways Authority of India has fast tracked the 520 km
rest of India is set to get a big leg up. long four-lane Gorakhpur-Siliguri expressway. Starting from UP, the
Four of the six tunnels are coming up on National Highway-244, expressway will go to West Bengal after crisscrossing nine districts of
connecting Jammu to Anantnag. These included Khellani tunnel, Bihar. It will pass through three districts of UP and enter Bihar, where
the KM 83 tunnel, Sudhmahadev-Dranga tunnel and Singhpora- it will pass through 9 districts of the state before entering West
Vailoo tunnel. Once the four tunnels are ready, travel time Bengal. The green-field expressway under Bharatmala Pariyojana
between Jammu and Anantnag will get reduced from the current (BMP) Phase 2 will run parallel to the Nepal border. It will cover
11-12 hours to 6 hours. The remaining two tunnels on NH-1, the 84.3 km in Uttar Pradesh, 416.2 km in Bihar, and 18.97 km in West
strategically crucial Zojila and Z-Morh, will provide all-weather road Bengal. It will cover the distance in UP through Gorakhpur, Deoria
connectivity between Srinagar and Kargil. The National Highways and Kushinagar districts and in Bihar and will pass through West
and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), a unit of Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga,

the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, is implementing all Madhubani, Supaul, Forbesganj and Kishanganj. After this, it will
the six tunnel projects, worth `18,539 crore. go through Darjeeling and finally Siliguri. Land acquisition work,
The Zoji-la & Z-Morh tunnels are located on the Leh-Srinagar which is currently in full swing in all the three states is also nearing
highway. Zojila tunnel and 6.5-km Z-Morh tunnels are part of a completion and the project is expected to be completed by
strategic project for ensuring round-the-year connectivity between 2025. Currently, there is no direct road connecting Gorakhpur
Kashmir and Ladakh region which remains closed during the and Siliguri due to which it takes people around 15 hours to reach
winters due to heavy snowfall. The deadline to complete the Zojila Siliguri or vice versa, but the new expressway will drastically reduce
project is November 2026 but there is likelihood that it may be travel time to about 6 hours.
completed ahead of its deadline. These are two important tunnels
which are built in two-lane, bi-directional, single-tube tunnels. Dedicated Freight Corridors
Indian Railways has undertaken a mega-infrastructure project of
Ganga Expressway two Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) namely Eastern and Western
The Ganga Highway in UP is a 594 km long, 6-lane wide (and Dedicated Freight Corridors (EDFC & WDFC) to facilitate faster
perhaps 8-lane wide) greenfield motorway that is currently under evacuation of freight traffic. As much as 60% of the dedicated
development. Phase 1 will link Judapur Dandu village on NH-19 freight corridors have been commissioned as on 31 January 2023,
in Allahabad district with Bijauli village on NH-334 in the Meerut according to the latest progress report on the crucial railway lines.
district. By 2024, the motorway should be finished. The DFBOT The 1,506-km-long WDFC runs from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to
Model is being implemented by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal in Maharashtra, whereas the
Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), and IRB Infrastructure 1,337-km-long EDFC runs from Ludhiana in Punjab to Sonnagar
and Adani Enterprises will build and manage it. The ambitious in West Bengal. A total route length of 1,724 km (861 km of EDFC
Ganga Expressway will connect prominent cities of Hindu heritage. and 863 km of WDFC) has been commissioned out of total 2,843
The Ganga Expressway will start from Meerut and end at Prayagraj. km till January 31, 2023.

26 CONSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES|FEBRUARY 2023