UP’s 700-km Shamli–Gorakhpur Expressway moves ahead—but what do four new NHAI tenders actually cover and when can work begin?

The latest development is a tender invitation, not an opening date

On September 14, NHAI published construction tenders for Packages 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the planned greenfield, access-controlled Shamli–Gorakhpur corridor. Inviting bids begins contractor selection; it does not mean the road is under construction across its full length or ready for traffic.

The four advertised packages total 252.986 km

The official chainages produce a combined design length of 252.986 km—not merely “more than 220 km.” Package 5 covers 61.4 km, Package 6 covers 74.039 km, Package 7 covers 74.047 km and Package 8 covers 43.5 km.

The packages cover chainage 212.6 km to 466 km

Package 5 runs from chainage 212.600 to 274.000; Package 6 from 274.000 to 348.039; Package 7 from 348.453 to 422.500; and Package 8 from 422.500 to 466.000. The 0.414-km break between Packages 6 and 7 means the four chainages are not one perfectly continuous block.

Bid deadlines come before contract awards and construction

The tender list set early-November 2026 closing and opening dates for the four packages. Bids must then be evaluated and contracts awarded before work can proceed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode. No corridor-wide completion or public opening date follows automatically from the tender notice.

The 700-km length and six-hour trip remain planning estimates

Current reporting describes the full corridor as roughly 700 km through about 22 Uttar Pradesh districts and projects a Shamli–Gorakhpur journey of around six hours instead of about 12. Final alignment, interchanges, tolls, speed limits and actual travel time will depend on approvals, construction and operations.