Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of ambitious 354-km. (Representational image)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of ambitious 354-km, 8-lane Purvanchal Expressway, linking Lucknow to Ghazipur, on July 14 in Azamgarh.

This was revealed by UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey today in a statement, spelling out the itinerary of the Prime Minister’s upcoming programmes in the state.

“On July 14, Prime Minister Modi will be in Azamgarh to lay the foundation stone of the Purvanchal Expressway and address a public meeting.

“On July 15, he will be in Mirzapur, while on July 21

he will be addressing a kisan kalyan rally in Shahjahanpur,” said Pandey.

“The Prime Minister is coming to UP with the message of development and farmers’ welfare in the next few days. This is indeed a moment of happiness for us. In-charges for various programmes have been made and responsibilities given to them,” he added

Originally a six-lane expressway, but expandable to 8-lane later, the Purvanchal Expressway is to link Lucknow with Ghazipur and scheduled to be completed within 36 months, though the state government is keen to have it completed within 24 to 26 months.

The 354 km- expressway is set to reduce the travel time between Lucknow to Ghazipur to 4.30 to 5 hours.

The total access controlled expressway with provisions of service roads and underpasses for vehicles, pedestrians and animals would be passing through eight districts of the state and would be linked to Varanasi through a separate link road.