Four-lane work on Old GT road to complete by June end

Prayagraj: The work of four-lane construction on Old GT Road from Andawa to Handia has been completed 95% and the remaining 5% is also expected to complete by end of June. The expansion of the road will make the journey to Varanasi and Mirzapur via Handia via Andawa crossing (Jhunsi) more comfortable by minimising the frequent traffic jams witnessed in Sarai Inayat, Hanumanganj, Saidabad, and Handia areas of the district. Executive engineer of construction division-3 of PWD Navin Kumar Verma said that under the expansion project, 95% of the four-lane road construction has been completed. The final phase involves the remaining 5% of the work around the Andawa crossing which is under continuous monitoring, and is expected to complete by the end of June, also the deadline for completing the project. An additional instalment of Rs 29 crore was released by the state government on June 6 from the total sanctioned budget of Rs 294 crore for the four-lane project, shared the official. The four-lane expansion covers a 22.4 kilometre stretch from Andawa Mod to Handia. The demolition and widening work between Sarai Inayat, Hanumanganj, Saidabad, and Handia started on December 27, 2021.Meanwhile, changes are also planned for Cemetery Road. The road will be widened by three metres, and a divider will be constructed in the middle, featuring a green belt. Additionally, there are plans to develop a green belt in the vacant space between the road and the new Yamuna bridge.Prayagraj development authority’s chief engineer Ashutosh Srivastava said the work from Bairahana crossing to Yamuna Bank road on Cemetery Road and from Shyama Prasad Mukherjee crossing to Prof Rajendra Prasad (Rajju Bhaiya) University is set to be completed in next two months.The PDA has issued a tender for road widening and other development work. Before issuing the tender, the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation started constructing drains on both the sides of Cemetery Road. Cemetery Road was renovated 10 years ago when street lights were installed.The state govt has released a part of the budget for the construction of the Kaushambi-Prayagraj road and GT Road. Over Rs 54 crore has been allocated for the Kaushambi-Prayagraj road. The construction of the Kaushambi-Prayagraj road is crucial for boosting tourism in this neighbouring district of Prayagraj. This road is being linked with the tourist spots of Kaushambi to Prayagraj airport. The PWD has also commenced work on both roads, aiming to complete the projects before the formal start of the Maha Kumbh-2025.