Varanasi: Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate two highway projects, a bridge over the Sai river and a bypass road, besides laying the foundation stone for five new road and bridge projects in Mungra Badshahpur in Jaunpur district on Thursday.The major projects include widening of the 63.171-km Rae Bareli-Prayagraj section of NH-30, constructed at a cost of Rs 638.35 crore.According to details provided by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the project will benefit Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj districts and improve connectivity with several key routes, including NH-31 at Civil Lines in Rae Bareli, the Rae Bareli-Pratapgarh-Jaunpur section at Munshiganj, Munshiganj-Dalmau state highway, the Ganga Expressway at Jagatpur and SH-38 between Unchahar and Dalmau.The upgraded corridor begins at Civil Lines crossing in Rae Bareli, passes through Unchahar tehsil and Kunda tehsil in Pratapgarh, and meets NH-19 near Annarajpur village in Prayagraj.Officials said the four-lane highway has reduced travel time between Lucknow, Rae Bareli and Prayagraj from around 3.5-4 hours to nearly 2.5 hours, resulting in savings in both time and fuel. It also offers an alternative route for vehicles travelling from Lucknow and Rae Bareli towards Varanasi, besides providing a four-lane link between Prayagraj and Ayodhya.Another major project to be inaugurated is the 49-km Machhlishahr-Janghai-Bhadohi section of NH-731B, built at a cost of Rs 627 crore. The road is expected to reduce travel time between Machhlishahr in Jaunpur and Bhadohi from around two-and-a-half hours to 40 minutes.The programme will also mark the commencement of three key works in Jaunpur, including the Mungra Badshahpur bypass, four-laning of a road section in Jaunpur city and the bhoomipujan for a railway overbridge at Mariyahu railway crossing. These projects are expected to ease traffic congestion and strengthen connectivity across the region.Together, the projects, valued at around Rs 3,650 crore, aim to improve road safety and enable faster movement of commuters and freight across the adjoining districts.
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