Gadkari directed officials to expedite land acquisition, forest clearances, utility shifting and other statutory approvals to ensure timely completion of projects and urged that road safety receive equal attention. He advised that every national highway project incorporate safe design, scientific improvement of accident black spots, modern signage and strict adherence to safety standards and advocated transplanting trees using modern technology rather than felling them.
Officials reported that since 2014 about 10,204 km of national highway projects have been awarded in the state and construction of 9,329 km has been completed, with projects covering 606 km sanctioned and 1,010 km completed between April 2025 and May 2026. Investments of around Rs 1.94 tn had been made in national highway projects in the state, including Rs 234.45 bn during the 2025-26 financial year, and the minister welcomed improved Centre?state coordination that had helped speed implementation.
The meeting reviewed projects including the Mathura?Bareilly?Sitarganj four?lane highway, the Agra?Aligarh project, the Agra?Gwalior?Jhansi?Nagpur economic corridor, Kanpur Ring Road, the Ram Van Gaman and Ram Janaki Marg corridors and the proposed 742 km Shamli?Gorakhpur access?controlled corridor. Works on eight expressway projects worth Rs 1.23 tn are underway, tenders were awarded for the Rs 70 bn Barabanki?Bahraich four?lane highway and the Union Cabinet has approved the Rs 110 bn Kanpur?Bhopal six?lane economic corridor. The minister noted a Rs 46 bn Agra?Gwalior greenfield expressway that would cut travel time and said assets worth about Rs 15 tn had been monetised with an annual national highways budget of around Rs 3.2 tn, and he invited the state to continue proposing projects with Centre support.