Lucknow, July 14 -- Expected to transform connectivity between the state's political and industrial capitals, the 63-km Lucknow-Kanpur Greenfield Expressway (National Expressway-6), designed for speeds of up to 120 kmph, will reduce travel time between Lucknow and Kanpur from nearly three hours to 35-45 minutes when motorists cruise on it from Tuesday. The Rs.4,500-crore, six-lane expressway was formally inaugurated by defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari and chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday, giving Uttar Pradesh's expanding high-speed road network another major boost and strengthening the foundation for the proposed State Capital Region (SCR). It is expected to ease congestion and improve passenger as well as freight movement. The expressway incorporates several intelligent transport features, including Automated Machine Guidance Systems for precision construction and a Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling system that eliminates conventional toll plazas. Vehicles will pass without stopping as tolls are deducted automatically through FASTag and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology. Safety infrastructure includes more than 80 high-definition CCTV cameras, 16 Video Incident Detection Systems, speed radars and a centralised traffic management system capable of automatically detecting violations and issuing e-challans. More than 46,000 saplings have also been planted along the expressway to create a green buffer. Conceived in 2018 and completed after 1,648 days of planning and construction, the project was formally launched in March 2019 when Rajnath Singh, Gadkari and Yogi Adityanath laid its foundation stone. In December 2020, the Centre declared it National Expressway-6 (NE-6), paving the way for its development as one of the country's most technologically advanced expressways. Developed by PNC Infratech for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway project was executed in two packages. The first comprises an 18-km elevated corridor connecting Amausi and Shaheed Path in Lucknow, constructed amid the challenges of dense urban development, traffic management and land acquisition. The second is a 45-km greenfield section traversing 11 villages in Lucknow and 31 villages in Unnao, with construction accelerating after land acquisition was completed. Addressing the inaugural function, Gadkari announced another major infrastructure initiative for Lucknow. Responding to a request made by Rajnath Singh, he directed officials to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a 23-km three-tier transport corridor from Lucknow airport via Shaheed Path to Faizabad Road. The proposed project will feature an elevated roadway along with an electric mass rapid transit system, creating what Gadkari described as one of the world's most advanced urban transport corridors. He said the project would adopt Malaysian engineering technology, allowing 120-metre spans between piers compared to the conventional 30 metres, reducing construction costs by nearly 30% while improving efficiency and aesthetics. Rajnath Singh thanked Gadkari for fulfilling Lucknow's long-pending demand for the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway and said he had spoken before the Union minister specifically because he wanted to seek more projects for his parliamentary constituency. Besides the three-tier corridor, he sought six-laning of the Lucknow-Sitapur road and additional service roads and connectivity around Kisan Path. He also praised chief minister Yogi Adityanath for improving law and order and creating an investment-friendly environment, saying the city would attract more industries beyond the BrahMos aerospace project. Rajnath expressed confidence that once the DPR is completed, the foundation stone for the proposed elevated corridor could be laid by December. The chief minister described the expressway as another milestone in Uttar Pradesh's infrastructure transformation and said the state had moved from being labelled a "BIMARU" state to becoming the country's "growth engine." Drawing a contrast with previous governments, he alleged that a decade ago Uttar Pradesh suffered from an identity crisis because there was neither neeti (policy) nor neeyat (intent) as governance was driven by appeasement politics rather than long-term development. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision since 2014 for placing infrastructure at the centre of governance and said projects such as the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, expanding metro rail networks, new airports and a rapidly growing expressway network had fundamentally reshaped the state's economy and connectivity. The chief minister said the new expressway would serve not only daily commuters but also strengthen the emerging State Capital Region, improve logistics, attract industrial investment and further integrate Lucknow, Kanpur, Unnao and neighbouring districts into a unified economic corridor....