Prime Minister Narendra Modi has today (July 16) inaugurated Uttar Pradesh's sixth expressway connecting Chitrakoot and Etawah. The foundation for the project was laid by Prime Minister back in 2020, and the project has been completed now in record 28 months. The 296-km long Bundelkhand expressway will facilitate transportation services in the state with a four-lane built with an investment of Rs 14,850 crore. Furthermore, the expressway down the line can be expanded to have six lanes. It is to be noted that the said expressway has been developed by Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA). Along with Chitrakoot and Etawah, the expressway will go through seven districts, namely Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, and Auraiya.

IN PICS: PM Modi inaugurates Bundelkhand Expressway, a 300 km-long engineering marvel - Image Gallery

Facts you need to know about the Bundelkhand Expressway:

Places it covers

The expressway starts near Bharatkoop in Chitrakoot district and merges with the Agra-Lucknow expressway near Kudrail village in Etawah district. It covers the seven districts of Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Aurraiya, and Etawah. The road has crossings over several rivers: Bagen, Ken, Shyama, Chandawal, Birma, Yamuna, Betwa, and Sengar.

#बुन्देलखण्ड_एक्सप्रेसवे

उत्तर प्रदेश बन रहा है, एक्सप्रेस प्रदेश

एक्सप्रेसवे के निर्माण से बुन्देलखण्ड क्षेत्र के सर्वांगीण विकास का मार्ग प्रशस्त होगा...@CMOfficeUP @UPGovt @AwasthiAwanishK @NandiGuptaBJP @_InvestUP @investindia @ChitrakootDm @DistrictEtawah @DM_Jalaun pic.twitter.com/w7lvbme4PA — UPEIDA (@upeidaofficial) July 12, 2022

Bundelkhand Expressway project cost 

The project's overall cost is estimated by officials to be over Rs 15,000 crore. However, by choosing e-tendering, the Yogi Adityanath administration has saved roughly Rs 1,132 crore.

Also read: Riding two-wheeler in Chappals, keep Rs 1,000 in pocket? Lesser-known traffic rules in India and their fines

Bundelkhand Expressway's connectivity

The Bundelkhand expressway is one of the major links increasing the connectivity in the state. Because of the four-lane expressway, the journey between Delhi and Chitrakoot, which took 9-10 hours, can now be completed in around 6 hours, as per the estimations. The Bundelkhand expressway is also crucial to the success of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh defence corridor project.

In the Banda and Jalaun districts, construction on an industrial corridor has also started. The western, central, and Bundelkhand parts of the state include more than 5,071 hectares of the Rs 20,000 crore defence corridor project.

Six of the state's 13 expressways, totaling 3,200 km, are in use, and seven more are under construction. Highway and expressway corridors are becoming industrial areas. The air force is developing airstrips for use in emergencies.