New Delhi, 15 July. The Central Government has taken a big step to permanently relieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency and religious city Varanasi (Kashi) from the major problem of traffic jams. In this sequence, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by PM Modi, on Wednesday approved the decision to build a magnificent 6/4 lane elevated corridor on the banks of Varuna River.
The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of 6-lane Greenfield Elevated Corridor between (NH-19) and Varanasi Ring Road in Uttar Pradesh. The project also includes construction of ramp, loop and foot over bridge.
Total cost of the project: ₹14,447.64 crore
Total length of the project:… pic.twitter.com/HvSqb5Em9g
— PIB Hindi (@PIBHindi) July 15, 2026
Total length of the project:… Accepted on the banks of Varuna Map and full details of 6/4 lane elevated corridor
According to the Press and Information Bureau (PIB) release, this project with a total capital cost of Rs 10,998.32 crore will be built by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM). This project is a most important part of Varanasi decongestion plan.
Complete map and route specifications of the project
This new connector corridor will directly connect National Highway-31 (NH-31) and Varanasi Ring Road. The total length of this link/connector corridor will be 43.218 kilometers. It will mainly be a 6/4 lane elevated corridor. In this, a modern network of flyovers, loops, ramps and service roads will be built at many places along the main carriageway. This entire corridor has been designed for an operating speed of 80 to 100 kilometers per hour. On this, vehicles will be able to gallop without any hindrance.
Union Cabinet approves development of 6/4 lane elevated corridor along Varuna river bank and its ramps/loops in Uttar Pradesh on hybrid annuity model at a total capital cost of Rs 10,998.32 crore
The project consists of a 6/4-lane mostly elevated corridor consisting of a main carriageway,… pic.twitter.com/BtEeXeTgiz
— PIB Hindi (@PIBHindi) July 15, 2026
Expenses from construction to land acquisition
This total budget of Rs 10998.32 crore, approved by the Cabinet, has been divided into different parts. Rs 4565.33 crore will be spent for civil construction cost. The acquisition of land required for this project will cost Rs 934.91 crore. Apart from this, the remaining amount will be used for other technical and associated expenses of the project.
in travel time 50% reduction: 40 minute journey now takes just 20 minutes
After the construction of this corridor, there will be huge saving in time of passengers traveling to Varanasi. Currently, one has to face heavy traffic jams in the city to reach Kashi Railway Station from NH-31. It takes about 40 minutes. After the opening of this access-controlled elevated corridor, the travel time will reduce to just 20 minutes. This means there will be a direct 50 percent reduction in travel time. This will make the city’s internal road network completely jam-free, improve road safety and also reduce the operating cost of vehicles.
#CabinetDecisions
The Cabinet approved construction of 6/4-lane elevated corridor, ramps and loops along the Varuna river bank in Uttar Pradesh under Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) at a total capital cost of ₹10,998.32 crore.
The Cabinet approved (NH-19) and Varanasi Ring Road in Uttar Pradesh… pic.twitter.com/Q3gujIyFUa
— PIB Hindi (@PIBHindi) July 15, 2026
These major railway stations of KashiGhats and airport will get direct connectivity
This elevated corridor, being built on the banks of river Varuna, will provide better connectivity to all the major centers in and around Varanasi city. This will make it easier to reach many places –
- Kashi Railway Station
- Varanasi City Railway Station
- Varanasi Junction (Cantt Station)
- Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Junction (DDU)
- Varanasi Airport (Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Babatpur)
- Ramnagar Port
- All major ghats of Varanasi
- Sampurnanand Sanskrit University
- Nearby Chandauli area
PM Gati Shakti and economic development will get new momentum
This project is going to prove to be a game-changer for trade, agriculture and logistics in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. In line with PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, this project will promote multimodal integration. This corridor will directly facilitate and strengthen access to one economic node (Chandauli Social Economic Zone), one social node (Chandauli) and six major logistics nodes. Through this route, agricultural produce, industrial goods, construction materials and minerals will be transported quickly and without any problem. This will increase the logistics capacity of entire eastern UP.
Overall, this modern, access-controlled urban transport corridor to be built on the banks of river Varuna will not only ease the lives of the residents of Varanasi and the tourists/pilgrims coming from India and abroad but will also take tourism and sustainable economic development in Kashi to a new height.
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