LUCKNOW, September 16: The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved a revised ₹1,008.67 crore proposal for the Chitrakoot Link Expressway, upgrading the 15.172-km corridor from the earlier four-lane configuration expandable to six lanes to a six-lane access-controlled greenfield expressway.
The revised project will be developed on an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis, according to the Cabinet decisions issued after a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on September 15.
The ₹1,008.67 crore figure represents the estimated cost approved for the project’s capital components. The entire expenditure is proposed to be borne by the Uttar Pradesh government, with no financial participation from the Centre envisaged.
Following the revised approval, the state will initiate the process of inviting global bids for selection of the construction agency.
The latest decision revises the Cabinet’s July 22, 2025 approval, under which the same 15.172-km corridor was planned as a four-lane expressway expandable to six lanes at an estimated capital cost of ₹939.67 crore.
The revised proposal therefore increases the estimated capital cost by ₹69 crore while providing for construction of all six lanes from the outset.
The Chitrakoot Link Expressway is proposed to connect the starting end of the operational Bundelkhand Expressway with Chitrakoot Dham. It will begin near Bharatkoop on the Varanasi-Banda road, designated NH-35/76, at around kilometre 267 and terminate near Ahmadganj village on NH-135BG in Chitrakoot district.
Under the earlier July 2025 configuration, the project was planned with a 110-metre right of way and a design speed of 120 km per hour.
The earlier approved plan also provided for one major bridge, four minor bridges, one flyover, 17 underpasses and 23 culverts, besides a toll plaza, wayside amenities, service roads at required locations and an advanced traffic management system.
The September 2026 Cabinet note does not separately specify whether these infrastructure components have been revised as part of the shift to a full six-lane configuration.
The state government expects the link expressway to provide faster connectivity to Chitrakoot Dham for travellers arriving from distant regions and support tourism and economic activity in the area.
The Chitrakoot Link Expressway proposal was among 23 decisions approved by the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet at its September 15 meeting. Other approvals included 20 per cent horizontal reservation for former Agniveers in direct recruitment for jail warder and transport enforcement constable posts, along with proposals covering education, industry, urban development and other sectors.
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