The 340-km-long six-lane, expandable to eight lanes, Greenfield Purvanchal Expressway would be completed by the end of 2020 and the main carriageway would be opened for traffic. So far, 20 per cent work on the expressway has been completed.

“The 340.824-km-long Purvanchal Expressway will be completed by the end of next year and opened for public use,” said Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and Chief Executive Officer UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) Awanish Awasthi in Lucknow on Wednesday.

Awasthi said that already 98 per cent of land required for the project had been acquired and the rest would be acquired soon.

The companies awarded the contracts have competed earth work in 58 per cent of the expressway.

“The construction companies have already constructed 34 underpasses and 242 box culverts while work on major and minor bridges along with railway over bridges (ROBs) is underway at a fast pace,” the UPEIDA CEO said in a statement issued here on Wednesday.

Awasthi said that 20 per cent work had been completed and the rest would be done in the next one year.

Purvanchal Expressway will commence from Chandsarai village in Lucknow and culminate at Haidaria village at Ghazipur crossing, passing through Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Ambedkarnagar, Azamgarh and Mau districts.

The UP government will spend Rs 11,216 crore on the construction of the expressway with four construction companies completing the work in eight packages.

Gayatri Projects Ltd is working on package one and two, Apco Infratech Pvt Ltd on package 3, GR Infra Projects Ltd on package 4 and 7, PNC Infratech Ltd on package 6 and 7 and Oriental Structures Pvt Ltd on package 8.

The companies were given 36 months to complete their projects, but the time has now been reduced to 30 months. But the main carriageway would be completed within 24 months.