Towns await prosperity amid attempts for infra glory on key expressway

Record bituminous concrete laying on Ghaziabad-Aligarh e-way speeds up road revamp

On the contours of the newly-widened, jet black layer of concrete on the highway, vendors and small shops go on about their day in the scorching May heat.

"This road used to be terrible earlier," a truck driver quips. "Barely any lane space, frequent traffic jams and potholes all around."

The Ghaziabad-Aligarh Expressway, touted by Union minister Nitin Gadkari as the key to unlocking the region's trade and commerce, is currently being widened from existing four lanes to six lanes.

Over the past four days, the stretch on the outskirts of Bulandshahr has been a site of rigorous work, amid