Today, on Wednesday, April 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 594-kilometer Ganga Expressway. Also present at the inauguration ceremony will be Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The Ganga Expressway is one of the largest road-building initiatives that India has seen lately. The six-lane, toll-free (access-controlled), and expandable to eight-lane highway will connect Meerut with Prayagraj and pass through 12 districts. However, it will not only be a highway but also a zone for industrial activities and logistics.

The total cost of the project was nearly ₹36,230 crore. This is the longest expressway in Uttar Pradesh. The highway will connect western, central, and eastern regions of Uttar Pradesh. Commute time between Meerut and Prayagraj will come down from the current 10-12 hours to 6-8 hours.

Different sections of the Ganga Expressway have been developed by Adani Enterprises Limited and its subsidiary, Adani Road and Transport Limited, as well as IRB Infrastructure.

The state government has developed 12 Integrated Manufacturing and Logistics Clusters (IMLCs) along this corridor. Approximately 6,507 acres of land have been identified for these projects. According to media reports, the government has already received 987 investment proposals worth approximately ₹47,000 crore.

The corridor passes through Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh, and Prayagraj. It connects some of the state's developed regions with districts that have historically lacked investment.

The plan is to develop a manufacturing hub around this area. The industrial cluster strategy is sector-specific. Depending on the districts' potential, different hubs are expected to focus on manufacturing, logistics, e-commerce, food processing, and warehousing.