At a function in the Chitbadagaon area of Ballia Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari unveiled and laid the foundation for seven national highway projects worth Rs 650,00 milion These projects include a Rs 532,00 million greenfield expressway and a 17-kilometer link road to connect with the Purvanchal Expressway. Together, these projects will significantly shorten the time it takes to travel between Patna and Lucknow. Not only will the greenfield expressway reduce the amount of time it takes for residents of Ballia and Bihar to travel to Delhi, Lucknow, or Patna, but it will also boost the economy of this region. East UP is now leading the development race, Gadkari stated. Today is an important day for Ballia, he added. We are committed to expanding the network of world-class highways to attract investment and industrial development in the region under the direction of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The greenfield expressway's opening demonstrates this commitment. The people of Ballia and Bihar will gain from it because it will significantly shorten the amount of time it takes to travel to Delhi, Lucknow, or Patna. It will be possible to reach Patna from Lucknow through the Purvanchal Expressway in just four and a half hours with the construction of this expressway. He stated, Ballia to Buxar will be reached in a half hour, Chhapra to Ballia in an hour, and Patna to Ballia in an hour and a half. With the completion of the greenfield expressway, eastern Uttar Pradesh will not only get a better connection with Chhapra, Patna, and Buxar in Bihar, he continued, but vegetables produced by Ballia farmers will also reach the mandis of Lucknow, Patna, and the multi-modal terminal of Varanasi. He also provided information about other highway projects. Haldia and Ghazipur will directly benefit. “The Delhi-Kolkata GT Road will provide connectivity to Chandauli in UP and Kaimur districts of Bihar through the greenfield road from Chandauli to Mohania,” he stated, adding that after completion, the Saidpur-Mardah Road in Mau will provide direct connectivity to Varanasi via Saidpur. In addition, Azamgarh and other backward regions of the region will benefit from improved economic and social conditions as a result of improved connectivity with other state cities.