Gorakhpur-Lucknow in 4.5 hrs: Yogi to flag off expressway on June 20

GORAKHPUR Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate the Gorakhpur Link Expressway on June 20, a greenfield 91-km stretch that will reduce travel time between Gorakhpur and Lucknow to just 4.5 hours, according to an official statement issued Tuesday.

The expressway, developed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), connects Jatipur village on National Highway-27 in Gorakhpur to Salarpur village on the Purvanchal Expressway in Azamgarh. The route will provide faster, safer road connectivity between eastern UP districts, including Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Ambedkarnagar, and Sant Kabir Nagar, significantly reducing current travel durations.

As part of the inauguration ceremony, the chief minister will also launch a specially designated expressway safety fleet. The fleet will include five Innovas, campers, four ambulances, two cranes, and one hydra vehicle, to ensure round-the-clock patrolling and emergency assistance.

Each Innova will be manned by four ex-servicemen and will operate in three eight-hour shifts, said UPEIDA’s nodal security officer Rajesh Pandey. The camper vehicles will be equipped with traffic cones, ropes, and radium strips, enabling rapid response in case of accidents or vehicle breakdowns to prevent further hazards on the expressway.

Ambulances will be stationed every 45 km on both sides of the route to provide prompt medical assistance. Cranes and a hydra vehicle will be deployed to swiftly clear disabled vehicles—small and medium vehicles will be towed away using cranes, while larger ones will be shifted via the nearest chainage point.

Officials said the operations will comply with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) guidelines, which prohibit stalled vehicles from being left unattended on expressways.

To strengthen commuter safety, an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) is also being introduced. The system will include CCTV cameras every 5 km, monitored from a central control room, along with speed detection devices and number plate readers (NPRs). Traffic violations such as overspeeding will be automatically flagged and relayed to the respective district’s Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO) for immediate action.

The expressway is expected to not only cut travel time from Gorakhpur to Lucknow by nearly two hours but also ensure smoother and safer movement for thousands of daily commuters.