PM Narendra Modi to lay foundation of 2.89 km tunnelat Varanasi airport for runway expansion tomorrow

VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to lay the foundation of a 2.89-kilometre tunnel in Varanasi on Friday.The tunnel will serve as the underpass for the expanded runway of Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport in Prime Minister's parliamentary constituency. Once completed, the Rs 652.54 crore project by the National Highway Authority of India, along with the runway expansion, will make Varanasi airport the first in India to have a highway under its runway."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, to the people during his public meeting at Mehdiganj on Friday," divisional commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma told TOI on Wednesday. As the expansion of the airport runway will affect traffic on the existing NH-31 near Babatpur, this underpass tunnel is being constructed.Once it is done, traffic will be able to move safely and smoothly in less time.The AAI has taken the help of experts from IIT Delhi to design the underpass.For the safety of the tunnel and passengers, a 24/7 video surveillance system will be installed with high-quality cameras. The route patrolling vehicles and ambulances will be available to provide immediate assistance if needed.CRPF personnel will be deployed on both sides of the tunnel to ensure the safety of passenger.The expansion of runway with NH-31 in its underpass was cleared 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.Later, on Oct 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.