Archive · 15 Sep 2026
Gorakhpur-Shamli Expressway Aims to Halve Uttar Pradesh Travel Times
A new expressway is being planned across Uttar Pradesh.
It would connect Shamli in the west with Gorakhpur in the east.
The road could be about 700 kilometres long.
Today, driving between the two places takes around 12 hours.
The new road could reduce that time to about six hours.
It would be access-controlled, meaning vehicles could use a faster and more direct route.
The expressway is expected to pass through 22 districts.
The National Highways Authority of India has invited bids for four construction sections.
These sections together cover more than 220 kilometres.
The proposed Gorakhpur-Shamli Expressway is planned as a roughly 700-kilometre, greenfield, access-controlled corridor.
It is expected to cut the road journey between Shamli and Gorakhpur from about 12 hours to nearly six hours.
The route is planned to pass through 22 districts across western, central and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The National Highways Authority of India has invited bids for four packages covering more than 220 kilometres.
Packages 5, 6 and 7 have a November 2, 2026 bid deadline, while Package 8 closes on November 3, 2026.
- Who
- The National Highways Authority of India is inviting bids for construction of the proposed expressway.
- What
- A roughly 700-kilometre Gorakhpur-Shamli Expressway is being planned as a greenfield, access-controlled corridor.
- When
- Bids for Packages 5, 6 and 7 close on November 2, 2026; the Package 8 deadline is November 3, 2026.
- Where
- The corridor would connect Shamli and Gorakhpur through 22 districts in Uttar Pradesh.
- Why
- The project aims to reduce travel time and improve road connectivity between western and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
- Planned length
- Approximately 700 kilometres
- Expected travel time
- About six hours, compared with roughly 12 hours currently
- Construction model
- Hybrid Annuity Mode
- Packages open for bids
- Packages 5, 6, 7 and 8
- Combined package coverage
- More than 220 kilometres
- Route districts
- Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Amroha, Budaun, Bareilly, Rampur, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Sitapur, Lucknow, Barabanki, Bahraich, Gonda, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Ayodhya and Gorakhpur; the article describes the route as covering 22 districts.
- Package deadlines
- November 2, 2026 for Packages 5-7; November 3, 2026 for Package 8