NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved two major elevated road projects in Varanasi — Ganga Corridor and Varuna Corridor — aimed at easing traffic congestion in the holy city and providing high speed connectivity from two national highways and the Ring Road. The two roads to be built with a design speed of 100 kmph compared to existing roads where vehicles crawl at 20 kmph will cost Rs 25,446 crore.

Announcing the decisions, I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the projects are critical considering that the holy city gets more than 15 crore tourists and pilgrims every year. He said these roads will improve connectivity to major religious, educational and cultural landmarks, including Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Namo Ghat, Ramnagar Fort, Ghats of Varanasi, and Kashi railway station.In posts on X, PM Narendra Modi said, “We are resolute in making darshan of Baba Vishwanath in Varanasi even more accessible and convenient with the expansion of connectivity in Uttar Pradesh. “ He added that the construction of a 6/4-lane elevated corridor along the banks of Varuna river will not only serve as a model for other cities of cultural importance, but will also make the lives of people easier through infrastructure development. He also said that the 6-lane corridor along the banks of the Ganga will “further improve access to the city’s major religious, educational, and cultural sites. At the same time, the reduced pressure on the road network will make commuting even smoother. This project will accelerate economic development in Purvanchal.”Govt said the 46-km Ganga Corridor will have a 6-lane elevated main carriageway, an iconic cable-stayed bridge, extra-dosed footover bridge-cum-major bridge, loops, ramps, link roads, and service roads. It will decongest the NH-19 (Prayagraj–Varanasi) and will also decongest the traffic from BHU-Ramnagar, NH-35 (Varanasi–Mirzapur). “It will reduce average travel time across the area from around 60 minutes to about 20 minutes.

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The 43-km Varuna Corridor will significantly decongest the city core and address chronic traffic congestion, govt said. Officials said this will reduce travel time between NH-31 to Kashi railway station from 40 minutes to 20 minutes.