| Header Type: | proposed |
| Country: | IND |
| Gorakhpur–Siliguri Expressway | |
| Length Km: | 519 |
| Direction A: | West |
| Direction B: | East |
| Terminus A: | Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh |
| Terminus B: | Siliguri, West Bengal |
| Formed: | 2025 (expected)[1] |
| States: | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal |
| Cities: | Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar, Gopalganj, Motihari, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Supaul, Forbesganj, Araria, Kishanganj, Islampur, Bagdogra and Siliguri |
| Maint: | National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) |
Gorakhpur–Siliguri Expressway is an approved long, four-lane (expandable to 6) access-controlled greenfield expressway, which will connect the city of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh with the city of Siliguri in West Bengal, India.[2] It will run almost parallel to the India–Nepal border, and will pass through three states–Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. The expressway is a part of Bharatmala Pariyojana, and it will reduce both travel time and distance, from 14-15 hours only 8-9 hours, and from to .[1] As it will pass through close to the India–Nepal border, the project is of strategic importance for the country, as it will also benefit Nepal.[2] It will be built at a cost of ₹ 32,000 crore, and will be completed by 2025, which was earlier scheduled at 2028/29.[1] In the future, it will be extended to the capital of Assam and the largest city of Northeast India, Guwahati.[3]
To improve connectivity, tourism, development and economic growth in Eastern as well as Northeast India, also including Nepal, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways planned to build an expressway from Gorakhpur to Siliguri, by making it align close and parallel to the India–Nepal border. The expressway will reduce both travel time and distance considerably, from the current 14-15 hours to only 8-9 hours, and from to . Once completed, these regions, along with Nepal with the advantage of close proximity to the expressway's route, will see exponential growth with the growth of industries and socio-economic development by promoting employment among people living in the regions, which the regions currently lack altogether. The expressway will have four lanes, and in its between, a 100×100 m space will be left, for two more lanes, to expand the expressway into six lanes at a future date. It will be built at a cost of ₹ 32,000 crore, and will be completed by 2025, which was earlier scheduled at 2028/29.[1] [4]
|-|UP|52.4miles|-|BH|258.6miles|-|WB|11.79miles|-|Total|322.85miles|}
See also: List of districts of Uttar Pradesh. The expressway will start from the Gorakhpur Ring Road, or National Highway 27 (East–West Corridor) (NH-27) at Gorakhpur, Gorakhpur district, and will run mostly parallel with NH-27. It will connect the following districts along with their cities:[2]
See also: List of districts of Bihar. The expressway will pass through the following districts along with their cities:[5]
See also: List of districts of West Bengal. The expressway will terminate again at NH-27 at Siliguri, Darjeeling district, and will pass through the following district along with its city before terminating:[2] [6]
The expressway will be fully four-lane, access-controlled and a greenfield project, with a provision of expanding it into six lanes and an extension from Siliguri to Guwahati in Assam, at a future date. The alignment lies mostly along the India–Nepal border on its northern side and the National Highway 27 (East-West Corridor) on its southern side. The expressway will be built using the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) technology, which provides and ensures security, liability caps, and a performance guarantee for an infrastructure. The land acquisition for the project began in May 2022, and is underway. The tenders were launched by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in January 2023. The expressway's Detailed Project Report (DPR) was completed by the Bhopal-based firm, L.N. Malviya Infra Projects Private Limited. Currently, the project is under bidding process and land acquisition. The expressway will be built at a cost of ₹ 32,000 crore, and as of March 2023, the package division for the project is underway, and so far, it has been divided into five packages. The following table lists the packages, contractors and their statuses.[7] [1] [8]
| Packages | Chainages | Contractor | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package-1 | Junction with National Highway 27 (East-West Corridor) at Forbesganj, Araria district (361.700 km to 382.950 km) | TBD | Bidding process underway | |
| Package-2 | Junction with National Highway 327 at Kishanganj district to Bihar-West Bengal border (497.600 to 505.700 km) | TBD | Bidding process underway | |
| Package-3 | TBA | TBD | Bidding process underway |
The expressway will benefit Eastern and Northeast India as well as Nepal by many ways, as follows:[9]