The road journey between NH-31 and Kashi Railway Station in Varanasi could become faster with the proposed Varuna Elevated Corridor. The journey, which currently takes around 40 minutes, is expected to drop to nearly 20 minutes once the Rs.10,998-crore project is completed.
The 43.218-km corridor will connect NH-31 with the Varanasi Ring Road along the Varuna River. It will provide an alternative route through the city and is also planned to improve access to major railway stations, Varanasi airport, Ramnagar Port and other key locations.
Varuna Corridor to cut travel time across Varanasi
The proposed corridor is expected to reduce travel time between several key locations in Varanasi. The journey from NH-31 to Kashi Railway Station, which currently takes around 40 minutes, is projected to take nearly 20 minutes after the corridor is completed.
The corridor is also expected to improve travel between Varanasi Junction and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport. The journey, which can currently take nearly an hour, is projected to come down to around 20 minutes.
Varuna Elevated Corridor: Route and project details
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, will develop the predominantly elevated 6/4-lane corridor. The Union Cabinet approved the project in July.
The corridor will comprise the main carriageway, flyovers, loops, ramps and service roads. It will also have an iconic cable-stayed bridge and an extradosed foot over bridge-cum-major bridge.
The alignment along the Varuna River is planned to add road capacity through the city without requiring extensive widening of existing roads in densely built-up areas.
The corridor is designed for speeds of 80–100 kmph. Of the total project cost, ₹4,565.33 crore has been allocated for civil construction, while ₹934.91 crore is earmarked for land acquisition.
Railway stations, airport and port connectivity
The new corridor will link or provide improved access to several major transport points in and around Varanasi. These include Varanasi Airport, Varanasi Cantonment, Varanasi City Railway Station, Kashi Railway Station and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction.
It will also provide a better road connection towards Ramnagar Port and areas along the Varuna corridor.
What it means for traffic and tourists
The corridor forms part of the Varanasi Decongestion Plan and is intended to take some through traffic away from busy city roads. Locations such as Varanasi Junction, Phulwaria and Chaukaghat currently handle local, commercial and through traffic. The additional route could help separate longer-distance movement from local traffic and reduce pressure on these stretches.
For tourists and pilgrims, the corridor will also provide another approach to major destinations, including the ghats, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor and Kashi Vishwanath Temple. This could be useful during festivals and peak pilgrimage periods, when traffic volumes in the city increase significantly.
Rs10,998 cr project to support regional movement
The corridor is not limited to city traffic. It is also planned to improve connections between Varanasi and nearby economic and logistics centres.
The project will provide access to the Chandauli Socio-Economic Zone, Chandauli Social Node and six major logistics nodes. This will help connect highway, railway and freight movement routes in the region.
The improved links are expected to support the movement of agricultural produce, industrial goods, construction materials and minerals between Varanasi, Chandauli and adjoining areas.