The Centre has approved two elevated corridor projects in Varanasi worth ₹25,445.96 crore, a move set to decongest the city while accelerating connectivity to key transport and religious hubs. The decision, cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), aligns with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan and targets a 60-70% cut in travel time across critical routes.
Project Breakdown: Costs, Routes, and Engineering Feats
The first project is a 46.039-km elevated corridor along the Ganga, linking NH-19 to the Varanasi Ring Road at a cost of ₹14,447.64 crore. The second, a 43.218-km corridor along the Varuna, connects NH-31 to the Ring Road for ₹10,998.32 crore. Both will be executed by NHAI under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).
Key engineering highlights include:
- A 910-metre cable-stayed bridge over the Ganga
- A 1.32-km extradosed foot over bridge with travelators for Kashi Vishwanath Temple access
- Operating speeds of 80-100 kmph on access-controlled carriageways
Economic and Logistics Impact
The corridors will reduce travel time from NH-19 to Kashi Railway Station from 50 to 25 minutes and from NH-31 to the same station from 40 to 20 minutes. They will also divert through traffic from NH-19, NH-31, NH-35, and the BHU-Ramnagar corridor, easing congestion in Varanasi’s core.
Strategically, the projects connect one economic node, one social node, and six logistics hubs, improving movement of agricultural produce, industrial goods, and construction materials across eastern Uttar Pradesh. Enhanced access to Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, multiple railway stations, and the IWAI Ramnagar port is expected to boost multimodal logistics efficiency.
