In a significant infrastructure push in northern India, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday, 18 March, approved a ₹6969.04 crore highway project in Uttar Pradesh, aimed at upgrading a critical corridor between Barabanki and Bahraich.
The decision, taken under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, clears the development of a 101.515 Km, access-controlled four-lane stretch of National Highway-927 under the Hybrid Annuity Mode, a widely used public-private model in India’s road sector.
The proposed upgradation of the Barabanki-Bahraich section of NH-927 in Uttar Pradesh will address severe geometric deficiencies, sharp curves, and congestion in built-up areas across Barabanki and Bahraich district, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry said in a statement.
“Designed as an access-controlled 4-lane highway with continuous service roads, the project will bypass major habitations, increase average travel speeds, reduce travel time to about one hour, and improve overall road safety, fuel efficiency, and vehicle operating costs, thereby enhancing regional mobility and socio-economic development,” the ministry said.
Travel time between the two districts is expected to come down to nearly one hour once the project is completed, a shift that could meaningfully reduce logistics costs and improve fuel efficiency along the route.
The highway will form part of the Lucknow-Rupaidiha corridor and will improve connectivity to the Rupaidiha Land Port on the India-Nepal border. It will also enhance access to districts such as Bahraich and Shravasti.
The project will connect 03 economic nodes, 02 social nodes and 12 logistics nodes, along with improved access to nearby airports and railway stations.
As per project details, the civil construction cost is estimated at ₹3485.49 crore, while land acquisition cost is ₹1574.85 crore. The project includes 48.28 Km of bypasses to ease congestion in built-up areas.
The corridor will connect with major national highways including NH-27, NH-330B and NH-730, as well as state highways SH-13 and SH-30B.
The project is expected to generate 36.54 lakh person-days of direct employment and 43.04 lakh person-days of indirect employment.
Upon completion, the project will improve connectivity, facilitate movement of goods and passengers, and support regional development in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
