The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved two major highway projects worth over Rs 25,445 crore aimed at easing congestion in Varanasi and improving connectivity across the city.The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a project at an estimated cost of Rs 10,998.32 crore. It will connect National Highway-31 (NH-31) with the Varanasi Ring Road along the Varuna river, reducing travel time between NH-31 and Kashi Railway Station by nearly 50 per cent while enhancing regional transport connectivity and strengthening logistics infrastructure.The project will be implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) and the total cost includes Rs 4,565.33 crore towards civil construction and Rs 934.91 crore for land acquisition.The corridor will comprise a predominantly six/four-lane elevated highway with a network of main carriageways, flyovers, loops, ramps and service roads. Designed for an operating speed of 80-100 kmph, the corridor is expected to reduce travel time between NH-31 and Kashi Railway Station from around 40 minutes to 20 minutes. Besides easing congestion on the city’s roads, the project is expected to improve road safety, lower vehicle operating costs and enable faster, uninterrupted movement of passenger and freight traffic.It will facilitate efficient movement of agricultural produce, industrial goods, construction material and minerals, improving logistics efficiency and supporting sustainable economic growth across eastern Uttar Pradesh.In another decision, the Cabinet approved the construction of a 46.039-km link corridor connecting National Highway-19 with the Varanasi Ring Road, a major infrastructure project aimed at easing traffic congestion and improving urban mobility in Varanasi.The Rs 14,447.64-crore project, comprising a six-laned elevated carriageway and landmark bridge structures along the Ganga, is expected to cut travel time from 50 minutes to about 25 minutes.Running along the Ganga, the corridor is designed to provide seamless connectivity between NH-19 and the Varanasi Ring Road while significantly decongesting the city’s road network.Designed for an operating speed of 80-100 kmph, the corridor is expected to reduce average travel time across its influence area from around 60 minutes to just 20 minutes, a reduction of nearly 67 per cent. Travel time between NH-19 and Kashi Railway Station will also come down from about 50 minutes to 25 minutes, resulting in a saving of 25 minutes.