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Prime Minister Narendra Modi VARANASI: In his 11-year regime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated six major and strategic tunnels across the country, with some like Zozila still under construction. Now, he will lay the foundation of a tunnel in his parliamentary constituency on Friday. This 2.
89-kilometre tunnel will serve as the underpass for the expanded runway of Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport in Varanasi on NH-31 (Varanasi-Lucknow highway). The completion of the Rs 652.54 crore project by the National Highway Authority of India, along with the runway expansion, will make Varanasi’s airport the first in India to have a highway under its runway.
Speaking to TOI on Wednesday, Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma said that during his public meeting at Mehdiganj on Friday, the PM will gift Rs 3,884 crore worth of projects, including the inauguration of 19 completed projects worth Rs 1,629.13 crore and laying the foundation for 25 new projects worth Rs 2,255.05 crore.
“Among the 25 new projects for which the PM will lay the foundation, one is the construction of a 2.89 km tunnel at a cost of Rs 652.54 crore,” he added.
As the expansion of the airport runway will affect traffic on the existing NH-31 near Babatpur, this underpass tunnel is going to be constructed. After the construction of the proposed underpass, traffic will be able to move safely and smoothly in less time. The AAI has designed this underpass in a modern way with the help of IIT Delhi.
For the safety of the tunnel and passengers, a 24/7 video surveillance system will be installed with high-quality cameras. For passenger convenience, route patrolling vehicles and ambulances will be available to provide immediate assistance if needed. Special attention will be given to the security of the tunnel and airport in this project.
Deployment of CRPF on both sides of the tunnel is being considered to ensure passenger safety. The way for the expansion of runway with NH-31 in its underpass was paved in June 2024 when the Modi 3.0 cabinet approved LBSI airport’s major expansion plan to double its capacity by building a new terminal and expanding the runway at a cost of around Rs 2,870 crore.
On October 20, 2024, Modi laid the foundation of the airport expansion project. Initial phase works of airport expansion, including the construction of the terminal building, commenced with the awarding of work in July 2024. The work for the second phase will be awarded in July 2025 for the construction of the expanded runway, with the project expected to be completed in 2027.
The tunnel portion will be constructed by NHAI. According to the master plan for the airport's expansion, its area will expand to 774 acres, including 639 acres inside and 135 acres outside the airport. For this, 350 acres of land are being arranged by the state govt.
Following the expansion, the runway will extend to 4,075 meters from the existing 2,745 meters. The number of bays in the apron will increase from 11 to 20. The existing terminal area is 24,500 square meters, which will expand to 99,500 square meters.
Peak hour handling capacity will increase from 1,050 passengers to 6,050. The annual capacity of handling 39 lakh passengers per annum will rise to one crore passengers per annum. Before gifting this tunnel to his parliamentary constituency, Modi, by focusing on improving infrastructure, connectivity, and strategic access across India, inaugurated the 9 km Chenani-Nashri Tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar NH on April 2, 2017, the 9.
02 km Atal Tunnel on the Manali-Lahaul Spiti highway in Himachal Pradesh on October 3, 2020, the 1.3 km Pragati Maidan (urban) Tunnel in Delhi on June 19, 2022, the world’s longest twin tunnels, Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh on March 9, 2024, India’s first underwater Kolkata Metro Tunnel (West Bengal) on March 6, 2024, and the 6.5 km Z-Morh Tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir on January 13, 2025, for enhancing year-round connectivity to Sonamarg.
Modi also laid foundation stones for other significant tunnel projects like the Shinkun La Tunnel in Ladakh on July 26, 2024..
