UP government starts delivering on poll promise of four laning State Highways

LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party’s poll manifesto promise of four laning state highways is now closer to reality as the first such project is ready for inauguration.

The Rs 355 crore four laning project of the State Highway 37 from Bareilly to Almora, measuring 54 kilometer, would be inaugurated by the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on October 18.

This would be the first such project executed under the Public-Private-Partnership mode which has been completed in the state, and would help ease traffic in vast parts of western UP and Terai region.

The project comprised of four laning the 54 km road along with paved shoulders and has been executed by PNC Infratech. A flyover and service lane, along with 9 medium size bridges and 56 small bridges and a toll plaza have also been built as part of the project. As the region sees heavy commercial vehicle movement a truck lay by for parking and holding large number of vehicles, has also been developed.

“Till May 2014 the project was slow in execution. We took it up on priority and work was monitored closely on a day to day basis. In a little more than a year’s time the project has been completed and is to be inaugurated now” said UP State Highway Authority (UPSHA), CEO, Navneet Sehgal.

The State Highway 37 is also popularly known as the Nainital Highway and some parts of were prone to heavy traffic congestion and long jams. With the four laning work complete it is expected to provide a major reprieve to commuters and transporters.

Navneet Sehgal said that that some other four laning of state highway projects are nearing completion and the coming months would see many such projects being inaugurated.

The ruling Samajwadi Party had during 2012 assembly polls promised four laning of major state highways to speed up traffic on major routes and provide fillip to the local economy. It adopted the PPP mode to execute such projects and the Bareilly to Almora is the first such project which has been completed.