Route guide · Ganga Expressway · Chitrakoot Link Expressway · Shaktipeeth Expressway

Don't Just Drive Past It: 12 Places to Visit You'd Miss on India's New Expressways

New expressways. Faster routes. Fewer unplanned stops. Here's what's actually worth the detour on three of India's biggest new road corridors — and what it costs to get there.

Published 2026-09-17 · Bharat Brumhaan

India's expanding expressway network is changing the structure of road travel. The 594-km Ganga Expressway now links Meerut with Prayagraj. The newly approved Chitrakoot Link Expressway will connect Chitrakoot Dham with the Bundelkhand Expressway. Maharashtra's redesigned Shaktipeeth Expressway is planned as an 856-km pilgrimage and regional travel corridor.

Route efficiency remains important. So do the places along the route.

A high-speed road can reduce travel time while also making nearby towns, riverbanks, temples, heritage sites and local landscapes easier to reach. The main challenge: access-controlled expressways don't always reveal what lies beyond each exit.

This is where Bharat Brumhaan helps with road-trip discovery — spiritual routes, scenic routes, family drives, weekend circuits, and planned journeys with relevant places to visit along the way.

Ganga Expressway route

The Ganga Expressway connects Meerut and Prayagraj across 12 districts of Uttar Pradesh. Reported junctions include connections near NH-334, NH-9, the Agra–Lucknow Expressway, NH-27, NH-30 and NH-19. The corridor is designed for faster east–west travel — nearby destinations still require route planning, local roads and suitable exit selection.

1.Augharnath Temple, Meerut

Meerut starting point. 1857 uprising associations. Local religious heritage. Urban access before the long expressway stretch.

A useful first stop for travellers beginning from western Uttar Pradesh — short visit format, city-based food and fuel availability, suitable for family and cultural routes.

2.Hastinapur

Ancient settlement near the Meerut region. Jain temples. Hindu pilgrimage traditions. Wildlife and wetland landscapes.

Hastinapur is not an expressway-side stop in the strict sense — it requires a planned diversion. That distance makes route discovery important. The destination works for spiritual, heritage and family travel themes.

3.Sambhal heritage areas

Historic town. Regional religious structures. Traditional markets. Local craft associations.

Sambhal can function as a slower cultural stop between western and central Uttar Pradesh. Travellers should verify opening hours, road access and local conditions before adding specific sites to a route.

4.Badaun

Historic city. Old religious and architectural sites. Compact town exploration.

Badaun offers a different travel rhythm from the expressway: narrower roads, local markets and heritage structures. A route plan can place the stop around meal timing or an overnight halt instead of treating it as an unplanned detour.

5.Triveni Sangam, Prayagraj

Ganga Expressway eastern terminus. Confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the traditional Saraswati. Boat rides. Riverside rituals. Major pilgrimage setting.

Prayagraj works as a final destination or as a connection point for longer journeys toward Varanasi, Ayodhya, Chitrakoot and central India. Early morning access and seasonal crowd conditions require advance planning.

Chitrakoot Link Expressway route

The newly approved Chitrakoot Link Expressway is planned as a 15.17-km, six-lane, access-controlled connection between the Bundelkhand Expressway and Chitrakoot Dham. The approved alignment runs between Bharatkoop and Ahmedganj, with a reported project cost of approximately ₹1,008 crore. The expressway itself is short — the surrounding circuit is extensive.

6.Ramghat

Mandakini riverfront. Temple steps. Evening aarti. Boat rides. Chitrakoot's principal public spiritual space.

Ramghat suits a slow arrival after a high-speed drive. Morning and evening visits offer different conditions — parking, walking distance and crowd movement form part of the route plan.

7.Kamadgiri

Sacred hill. Parikrama route. Temples around the circuit. Ramayana associations.

The full walking circuit requires time, suitable footwear and heat planning. The stop fits spiritual road trips but also works for travellers documenting regional culture, architecture and local life.

8.Gupt Godavari

Cave complex. Underground water channels. Temple spaces. Geological and religious significance.

Gupt Godavari needs a dedicated time window. Uneven surfaces and steps may affect accessibility — don't add it as a quick roadside stop without checking timing and visitor conditions.

9.Hanuman Dhara

Hilltop shrine. Stepped approach. Elevated views across the Chitrakoot landscape.

Hanuman Dhara adds a topographical change to the circuit — stairs, and possibly demanding during hot weather. Suitable planning: early visit, water, limited luggage and a slower return schedule.

Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Expressway route

The redesigned Nagpur–Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway is planned at approximately 856 km across 13 districts, including Wardha, Yavatmal, Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg. The corridor is planned to connect 21 religious sites; currently reported major destinations include Mahur, Tuljapur and Kolhapur. The project remains subject to implementation, land acquisition and route development — final access details require later confirmation.

10.Renuka Devi Temple, Mahur

Nanded district. Hilltop temple setting. Regional shakti tradition. Forested and elevated surroundings.

Mahur is a pilgrimage destination with a distinct landscape profile — a stop that can form part of a longer Vidarbha–Marathwada route rather than a short weekend drive. Temple timings and hill-road conditions require checking before departure.

11.Tulja Bhavani Temple, Tuljapur

Dharashiv district. Major Maharashtra pilgrimage centre. Temple-town streets. Devotional travel circuit.

Tuljapur carries strong spiritual importance for regional travellers. The town also requires time for parking, walking and darshan queues — route sequencing can connect Tuljapur with Solapur, Akkalkot or other nearby cultural destinations.

12.Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur

Kolhapur city. Historic temple tradition. Local food culture. Access toward the Western Ghats and Sindhudurg.

Kolhapur works as both a spiritual destination and a base for a wider Maharashtra road trip — travellers can combine temple visits with local cuisine, heritage streets and onward routes toward the coast.

Route planning costs

Fuel, tolls and FASTag — the numbers that actually shape a road-trip budget.

Fuel prices. Published mid-September 2026 figures place petrol near ₹102 per litre in Delhi and around ₹102–103 per litre across Uttar Pradesh. Maharashtra prices vary by city, with reported petrol rates generally around ₹111–113 per litre. Diesel is approximately ₹95–96 per litre in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and close to ₹98–100 per litre in Maharashtra. Actual prices vary by city, pump and daily revision — route budgets should use the destination-specific rate rather than a national average.

Tolls and FASTag. The full Meerut–Prayagraj Ganga Expressway journey has been reported at approximately ₹1,800 for cars, subject to entry and exit points; intermediate journeys cost less. NE-4, the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, uses distance-based tolling, with reported 2026 car rates ranging between approximately ₹1.10 and ₹1.50 per kilometre on relevant stretches — temporary reductions, construction conditions and plaza-specific revisions may apply, so check current information through official road and toll sources before departure. The FASTag annual pass for private vehicles is reported at ₹3,075 for 2026–27, with validity based on 200 toll crossings or 12 months, whichever comes first — a working FASTag remains the simplest option for expressway travel.

Expressway speed. Destination depth.

Expressways simplify the distance between two points. They don't automatically reveal the meaningful stops between them. The better road trip includes:

• Selected exits
• Fuel and food intervals
• Temple and heritage timings
• Walking requirements
• Family-friendly breaks
• Overnight locations
• Local road conditions
• Return-route alternatives
• Toll and FASTag estimates

Bharat Brumhaan helps travellers discover places to visit along the route they already plan to take. The journey doesn't need a spiritual theme — the same planning approach applies to scenic drives, family holidays, couple itineraries, weekend routes and independent exploration.

Faster roads. Better stop selection. Fuller journeys across India.