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The Union Cabinet has approved two National Highway projects in Varanasi involving a combined investment of nearly INR 25,500 crore to ease traffic congestion in the city. The projects comprise two elevated highway corridors linking key national highways and the Varanasi Ring Road along the Varuna and Ganga rivers. Together spanning around 89 km, the developments will include six-lane and four-lane elevated carriageways, bridges, flyovers, ramps and service roads. Both projects will be implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), with the aim of improving urban mobility and strengthening connectivity across Varanasi.
The Union Cabinet has approved two major highway infrastructure projects for Varanasi with a combined investment of nearly INR 25,500 crore to improve connectivity and reduce traffic congestion in the Uttar Pradesh city.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the development of a 43.218-km corridor linking National Highway-31 with the Varanasi Ring Road along the River Varuna. The project is intended to divert through traffic away from the city and improve the movement of vehicles across key urban corridors.
According to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the project will comprise a predominantly six-lane and four-lane elevated corridor incorporating the main carriageway, flyovers, loops, ramps and service roads. It will be executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) at an estimated capital cost of INR 10,998.32 crore.
The Cabinet also approved a second highway corridor connecting National Highway-19 with the Varanasi Ring Road through a riverfront alignment along the River Ganga. The 46.039-km project has likewise been designed to decongest Varanasi by providing an alternative route for traffic while enhancing connectivity between major transport corridors.
The second project will feature a six-lane elevated main carriageway along with an iconic cable-stayed bridge, an extradosed foot-over bridge-cum-major bridge, loops, ramps, link roads and service roads. The project will also be implemented under the Hybrid Annuity Model by NHAI at an estimated capital cost of INR 14,447.64 crore.
Together, the two highway projects represent one of the largest road infrastructure investments approved for Varanasi in recent years. The proposed corridors are expected to strengthen east-west connectivity, improve access between national highways and the city's ring road network, and reduce pressure on existing urban roads.
The Hybrid Annuity Model combines government support with private sector participation, under which the government bears a significant portion of the project cost during construction while the private concessionaire is responsible for execution and long-term maintenance. The model has been widely adopted for National Highway projects to accelerate infrastructure development while balancing financial risk.
The approvals form part of the Centre's broader strategy to expand highway infrastructure and improve connectivity in rapidly growing urban centres. Once completed, the two corridors are expected to enhance traffic movement, support regional economic activity and improve transport efficiency in and around Varanasi.
Source - PTI
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