The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to develop an outer ring road in Lucknow to help prevent traffic congestion in the city.

The road will provide an alternative route to commercial vehicles to bypass the city.

“The outer ring road will be developed on public-private partnership (PPP) model under phase VII of the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP),” said Ashutosh Gautam, Project Director of NHAI, UP unit.

This project will cost over Rs 1,000 crore and will take four years to complete. The NHAI plans to begin work within two years. Delhi-based ES Consulting Engineering Services has been appointed to study the feasibility of the project in eight months. Officials said that after feasibility study, the same firm may be engaged for preparing the detailed project report (DPR).

On the basis of the feasibility study report and DPR, NHAI will determine the length of the road, which could vary between 155 km to 165 km.

The outer ring road will touch Nawabganj on Lucknow-Kanpur Road, Mohanlalganj on the Rae Bareli Road, Barabanki on the Faizabad Road and Sidhauli on the Sitapur Road.

The distance of the ring road from Hazratganj, the centre of Lucknow, will be around 25 km.

The new road is expected to decentralise commercial activity apart from easing traffic.