LUCKNOW, July 14 -- Calling infrastructure the biggest driver of economic transformation, Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday announced road and highway projects worth nearly Rs.60,000 crore for UP and said projects worth Rs 5 lakh crore will be completed in the state over the next two years. The highlight of the announcements was Gadkari's approval for preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of a 23-km three-tier elevated transport corridor from Lucknow airport to Faizabad Road via Shaheed Path, a project proposed by defence minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh. The minister was addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Lucknow-Kanpur Greenfield Expressway at Sainik School and sharing stage with defence minister Rajnath Singh and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath. The proposed project will consist of an elevated road on one level and an electric mass rapid transit system on another, creating what Gadkari described as one of the world's most advanced urban transport corridors. He said the project would use technology inspired by Malaysia, enabling spans of 120 metres between two piers, compared to the conventional 30-metre spacing. The innovative design, he said, would reduce construction costs by nearly 30% while improving aesthetics and efficiency. "The foundation stone can be laid by December once the DPR is completed," said Gadkari. He added that although Metro rail falls outside his ministry's jurisdiction, the upper level would accommodate an electric Mass Rapid Transport System under the road transport ministry. He also spoke about the future integration of cable cars and other advanced urban mobility systems, saying India was moving towards modern transport solutions. Calling the project an engineering marvel, Gadkari said it would become an international attraction because of its unique structural design. Gadkari said four factors determine the prosperity of any nation - water, power, transport and communication. Quoting former US President John F Kennedy, Gadkari remarked: "American roads are not good because America is rich; America is rich because American roads are good." He said India must adopt the same approach by investing heavily on world-class infrastructure to accelerate economic growth. Gadkari said after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, infrastructure development in UP gathered momentum, while the pace increased significantly after Yogi Adityanath assumed office as chief minister. The minister also announced that the Centre would take up widening of the Lucknow-Sitapur highway to six lanes at an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore, reducing travel time between the two destinations from two hours to 50 minutes. Earlier, defence minister Rajnath Singh thanked Gadkari for fulfilling Lucknow's long-pending demand for the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway and said he deliberately spoke before the road transport minister because he still had several more projects to request for the city. He proposed the airport-Shaheed Path elevated corridor, sought six-laning of the Lucknow-Sitapur road and additional connectivity around Kisan Path....