PM to inaugurate renovated Raebareli stretch of NH-232 on Dec 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday dedicate to the nation the renovated 133-km Raebareli stretch of National Highway 232, an important link among Bundelkhand, Chitrakoot, Lucknow and Purvanchal areas in Uttar Pradesh, the government said Friday.

The newly widened highway is set to reduce travel time from Banda to Raebareli to 2.5 hours from 7-8 hours.

"Prime Minister Modi will dedicate to the nation the newly widened and rehabilitated Raebareli-Fatehpur-Banda section of NH-232 at an event in Raebareli on Sunday, the 16th of December.

"The 133 km project has been completed at a cost of about Rs 558 crore," the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement.

It is an important link between the mining areas of Bundelkhand, pilgrimage centre Chitrakoot, the state capital Lucknow and Purvanchal. The highway sees heavy traffic carrying construction material.

"When National Highways Authority of India took over this highway in 2013, it was in a very dilapidated condition and the travel from Banda to Raebareli was taking around 7 to 8 hours. After renovation, the travel time between these two cities has come down to just 2.5 hours," the statement said.

The highway is two-laned with paved shoulder, and includes a 4-laned stretch of 2 km in the urban part of Banda city. There are two 2 bypasses -- a 11 km one for the city of Fatehpur and 5 km one for Lalganj, Raebareli. There are also two Rail-Over-Bridges (ROB) at Lalganj and Fatehpur.

These have been constructed using Bow String Girder technology to avoid traffic blockage on the busy Delhi Kolkata Railway Trunk Route as far as possible, the statement said, adding there is one major bridge over river Sai spanning 90 metre and two vehicular underpasses in this section of the highway, in addition to various other small structures.

The statement said the highway will also cut down traffic congestion, reduce pollution and cut down fuel consumption. It will also open up employment opportunities in the area and boost socio-economic development, it added.