Uttar Pradesh has named the builders for its next four link expressways. On 27 October the state cabinet approved the selection of developers for seven EPC packages worth about Rs 17,542 crore, which moves the Farrukhabad, Jhansi and Jewar links and the Agra-Lucknow-to-Purvanchal link from sanctioned projects to jobs with contractors attached. For anyone who owns or hires out earthmoving and paving plant in UP, this is the step that turns a plan into hire demand.
The quick facts
- Seven EPC packages, four corridors: combined value of about Rs 17,542.06 crore per Dainik Jagran, Rs 17,542 crore per Amar Ujala and The Printlines.
- Named builders: Afcons Infrastructure and KCC Buildcon on the two Jewar packages; MKC Infrastructure and Russia’s LLC Volgodorstroy on the two Jhansi packages; Volgodorstroy, Apco Infratech and Dineshchandra R. Agrawal Infracon on the two Farrukhabad packages and the Agra-Lucknow-Purvanchal link.
- Timeline: three years to build, then five years of maintenance by the contractor.
- Length: roughly 322 km in all, going by the lengths in the original sanctions.
What did the UP cabinet approve?
Dainik Jagran reported the package-wise winners from the Yogi Adityanath cabinet’s 22-item sitting in Lucknow. Amar Ujala and The Printlines carried the EPC mode, the total, the three-year build and the five-year maintenance clause. UPEIDA had opened financial bids for the seven packages in late September. Jagran adds that the lowest bids came in 0.26% to 4% under estimate on every package except the Agra-Lucknow-Purvanchal link, where the lowest bid was about 5% over estimate and UPEIDA negotiated before selecting the firm.
The Jewar and Jhansi winners match the September bid results. On the other three packages, Jagran and the September listing assign Volgodorstroy, Apco and Dineshchandra R. Agrawal Infracon differently, so we are not printing that split until UPEIDA’s award letters settle it. No per-package contract values came with the cabinet decision.
What does it mean for machine owners and hirers?
Start with the money. The four corridors were sanctioned at about Rs 28,818 crore across July and August: Rs 4,775.84 crore, Rs 7,488.74 crore, Rs 7,968.30 crore and Rs 8,585.51 crore. The EPC packages come to roughly 61% of that. The balance covers land and other heads that never reach a contractor’s fleet. Spread over about 322 km, the civil work lands near Rs 54 crore a km for six-lane greenfield road with room for eight lanes later.
Greenfield road at that width is a fill job first. Excavators load at borrow areas, tippers run long hauls, dozers spread each layer and soil compactors and graders finish every lift before pavement starts. Bridges, interchanges and rail crossings then bring piling rigs, batching plants and cranes. Seven packages averaging about 46 km and Rs 2,500 crore each are large enough that the winners will bring their own core fleet. The open-market pull sits in sub-contracted earthwork and haulage, and in tipper and roller hire. Our road construction equipment guide lists the full train.
Two details deserve a closer read. Volgodorstroy is a foreign contractor holding two packages, and a firm without an established Indian fleet tends to buy or hire locally, which is a real opening for dealers and rental owners around Jhansi and Farrukhabad. The Jewar packages, meanwhile, run through Gautam Buddh Nagar and Bulandshahr, both NCR districts where GRAP curbs can halt earthwork in the winter smog months, so their working season is shorter than on the other corridors.
Our take: hire rates for tippers and compactors near these corridors are likely to firm first, with purchase decisions following once letters of award and appointed dates are out. That is a read, and the winners’ own fleet sizes will decide how much work spills into the open market.
What to watch
- UPEIDA letters of award and contract signing for each package, with values.
- An exchange filing from Afcons Infrastructure, the one listed winner, on its Jewar package.
- Appointed dates and sub-contract awards for earthwork and structures.
FAQ
Who won the UP link expressway packages?
Afcons Infrastructure and KCC Buildcon on Jewar, MKC Infrastructure and LLC Volgodorstroy on Jhansi, and Volgodorstroy, Apco Infratech and Dineshchandra R. Agrawal Infracon across the Farrukhabad packages and the Agra-Lucknow-Purvanchal link. Reports differ on which of those last three firms holds which package.
How much will the four link expressways cost to build?
About Rs 17,542 crore in EPC contracts, against sanctions of about Rs 28,818 crore. The gap covers land and other costs outside the civil contracts.
When will construction finish?
The contracts allow three years for construction, followed by five years of maintenance by the same contractor. Appointed dates have not been announced yet.
Earlier sanctions: the July cabinet approval covered the Farrukhabad and Agra-Lucknow-Purvanchal links, and the Jhansi link sanction followed in August.
Related on DesiMachines: The Jewar Link Expressway sanction and its bridge-heavy scope
Source: Dainik Jagran
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