Kamal Ghorui
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of a four-lane access-controlled National Highway-927 from Barabanki to Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs 6,969.04 crore, aimed at improving connectivity across key economic and logistics centres in the state, according to an official statement.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) cleared the project to be implemented on the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM). The project covers a stretch of 101.515 km and includes a civil construction cost of about Rs 3,485.49 crore, along with Rs 1,574.85 crore earmarked for land acquisition.Officials said the highway development is expected to generate 36.54 lakh person-days of direct employment and 43.04 lakh person-days of indirect employment, providing a boost to local economic activity.The upgradation of the Barabanki–Bahraich corridor is intended to address geometric deficiencies, sharp curves and congestion in built-up areas across both districts. Designed as an access-controlled four-lane highway with continuous service roads, the project will bypass major habitations, increase average travel speeds and reduce travel time between the two locations to around one hour.Authorities said the improved corridor would also enhance road safety, fuel efficiency and vehicle operating costs, while strengthening regional mobility and socio-economic development. The project is expected to provide seamless connectivity to economic, social and logistics nodes across Uttar Pradesh.In addition, the upgraded route will improve multi-modal integration by linking three economic nodes, two social nodes and 12 logistics nodes, besides facilitating connectivity with the Rupaidiha Land Port and nearby airports, enabling faster movement of goods and passengers.Once completed, the corridor is expected to emerge as a key cross-border trade and transit route between India and Nepal through the Nepalganj border, improving access to the Rupaidiha Land Port. The project is also likely to enhance connectivity to remote districts such as Bahraich and Shravasti, support PM GatiShakti economic and logistics initiatives, and promote agri-trade, tourism, cross-border commerce and regional investment, the statement added.
