Narendra Modi to dedicate rehabilitated Raebareli-Fatehpur-Banda section of NH-232 to the nation this week

The 133 km project has been completed at a cost of about Rs 558 crore.

It is an important link between the mining areas of Bundelkhand, pilgrimagecentreChitrakoot, the state capital Lucknow and the Purvanchal districts of the state.

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 highway is two-laned with paved shoulder, and includes a4 laned stretch of 2 km in the urban part of Banda City.

There are two 2 Bypasses – an 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. There is one major bridge over river Sai spanning 90m and 2 vehicular underpasses in this section of the highway, in addition to various other small structures like RCC Box and Pipe Culverts.

Apart from drastically reducing the travel time between Banda and Rae Bareli, this highway will also cut down traffic congestion I these cities, reduce pollution and cut down fuel consumption.

The highway will also open up employment opportunities in the area and boost socio-economic development in the Purvanchal and Bundelkhand regions of the state.