Even as Uttar Pradesh boasts of a 1,788-km expressway network — the country’s longest — a spate of recurring crashes involving long-distance and sleeper buses on these high-speed corridors has put vehicle fitness checks and enforcement mechanisms under sharp scrutiny. A sleeper bus overturned on the Purvanchal Expressway on February 23, 2026. (FILE PHOTO) Following the mishaps, questions are being raised about whether monitoring systems have kept pace with rapid infrastructure expansion. These expressways form the backbone of inter-state bus movement between Delhi and eastern states such as Bihar and Jharkhand. Longest network, maximum exposure Uttar Pradesh currently has five functional expressways – Yamuna Expressway (165 km), Agra-Lucknow Expressway (302 km), Purvanchal Expressway (340 km), Bundelkhand Expressway (296 km) and Gorakhpur Link Expressway (91 km). Together, they account for 1,788 km, the highest operational expressway length in the country. Roughly 800 km of this expressway network forms the principal high-speed spine used by private and sleeper buses travelling overnight from Delhi towards eastern Uttar Pradesh before crossing into Bihar and Jharkhand. Although these buses originate and …