Varanasi approved Rs 25,446 crore elevated corridor projects

Varanasi corridor Ganga elevated corridor Varuna elevated corridor ₹25,446 crore infrastructure traffic decongestion

India's Union Cabinet approved two major elevated road corridors in Varanasi under the Hybrid Annuity Model, with a combined outlay of approximately ₹25,446 crore. The 46 km Ganga corridor will cost about ₹14,447.64 crore and feature a six‑lane greenfield elevated stretch, a 910‑metre cable‑stayed bridge and a 1.32‑km extradosed foot‑over bridge. It will link National Highway‑19 with the Varanasi Ring Road, cutting travel time from around 60 minutes to 20 minutes and reducing the NH‑19 to Kashi Railway Station journey from 50 to 25 minutes.

The 43.22 km Varuna corridor, budgeted at ₹10,998.32 crore, will have six/four lanes connecting NH‑31 with the Ring Road, halving the travel time between NH‑31 and Kashi Railway Station from about 40 minutes to 20 minutes. Both projects aim to ease congestion, lower vehicle operating costs and emissions, and improve access to key transport hubs such as Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, Kashi Railway Station and Ramnagar Port, as well as major religious and cultural sites including Kashi Vishwanath Temple, BHU and the city ghats.

Officials said the Varuna link could be completed in roughly three years and the Ganga link in about four and a half years. The corridors are part of the PM Gati Shakti national master plan and are expected to boost tourism, create construction jobs and support broader economic growth in eastern Uttar Pradesh.