Lucknow, Oct 29 (IANS) Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for the construction of the 302-km-long six-lane expressway between Agra and Lucknow were signed Wednesday between Uttar Pradesh government and five companies.

The project, personally pitched by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, when complete, will be the longest access-controlled expressway in the country.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) Navneet Sehgal who signed the MoU’s on behalf of the government informed that the expressway will run through Agra, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auraiya, Kannauj, Kanpur city, Unnao, Hardoi and Lucknow districts.

He told IANS that 3,100 hectares of land will be required for the project, of which 2300 hectares has been acquired.

The expressway, the official further added, would have interchanges for main roads, underpasses for pedestrians and cattle, service roads and green belts. The width of the road would be 110 metres and when complete, it will cut down the travel time between Agra and Lucknow by almost half to 3-4 hours.

“This is a major initiative to not only upgrade the infrastructure but also cut fuel cost, travel time and ease traffic,” officials said.

The project is likely to cost about Rs. 15,000 crores of which Rs. 11,526 crores would be spent on construction and the rest on acquisition of land.