The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of a 117.7 km Kanpur-Kabrai Access-Controlled Greenfield Highway in Uttar Pradesh with a total capital cost of ₹7,145.14 crore. The four-lane access-controlled corridor, with structures designed for future six-laning, will be implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Build-Operate-Transfer (Toll) mode, including operation and maintenance of the existing Kanpur-Kabrai section of NH-34.
This project forms a key segment of the Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor under the National Highways (O) Programme and will provide seamless, high-speed connectivity between Kanpur and Kabrai while strengthening onward connectivity to Sagar, Bhopal and other parts of Madhya Pradesh. The corridor is designed for operating speeds of 80-100 kmph and will reduce travel time between Kanpur and Kabrai from 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours, representing a 58% reduction in journey time.
The highway will provide strategic connectivity with NH-34, NH-35, the Bundelkhand Expressway, Kanpur Ring Road, and State Highways SH-46, SH-91, SH-10B and SH-42, enhancing integration with the regional highway network. It will particularly improve connectivity to the Kabrai mining belt, facilitating movement of minerals, industrial goods, construction materials and agricultural produce.
Aligned with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, the project will improve connectivity to 16 Economic Nodes including Unnao, Banther, Pankhi, Rania, Jainpur, Rooma, Chakeri, Sumerpur and Bhuragarh Industrial Areas, Trans Ganga Integrated Township, Growth Centre Jaipur, Kanpur Nagar Node and Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd. It will also strengthen connectivity to 9 Social Nodes (Fatehpur, Mahoba, Kanpur Zoological Park, Buddha Park, J.K. Temple & Garden, Radha Krishna Temple, Siddheshwar Mahadev Temple, Gopeshwar Mandir and Mahoba Tourist Place) and 10 Logistics Nodes including Kanpur, Ghatampur, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Kabrai, Bharwa Sumerpur and Banda Railway Stations, together with Kanpur, Chakeri and Khajuraho Airports.
The project is expected to generate approximately 11,188 direct and 13,985 indirect person-days of employment per lane per km during construction, totaling approximately 1.2 crore person-days of employment. The corridor is projected to carry an Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) of about 18,069 Passenger Car Units (PCUs) by FY 2028, underscoring its long-term economic, logistics and transport significance for the Bundelkhand and adjoining regions of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.