LUCKNOW, June 18 -- Midway between the speeding lanes of the upcoming Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, two identical buildings are taking shape, not toll plazas or rest stops, but trauma centres, equipped with emergency beds, diagnostic labs, and rooftop helipads. For the first time in Uttar Pradesh, an expressway will have twin medical hubs stationed at its heart, ready to respond within minutes to road crashes on a corridor where vehicles will clock 120 kmph.

The 63-kilometre greenfield expressway, connecting the state capital to the industrial hub of Kanpur, is being developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Officials confirmed that two trauma centres, one on either side of the highway near Padri Khurd, will be operation...