Ayodhya is poised for a major connectivity upgrade with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) initiating steps for a high-speed, access-controlled corridor linking the temple town to Varanasi. NHAI has invited tenders to appoint a consultant agency to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed six-lane corridor.

As per The Daily Jagran report, NHAI Project Director Avneesh Siddharth said that the consultant selection process is under way, with the DPR expected to take around 18 months to complete, including surveys and technical assessments.

Once operational, the corridor is expected to reduce the distance between Ayodhya and Varanasi by nearly 50 kilometres, bringing it down to about 200 km. Travel time is projected to fall to roughly two hours, compared with the current four to five hours, providing a major boost to religious tourism.

While the corridor will take several years to complete, work is progressing on other infrastructure projects. The 67-km Ayodhya ring road, costing approximately ₹2,500 crore, is scheduled for completion by 2027 and will improve links with Gonda and Basti.

The proposed corridor will begin at Rampur Halwara, connect via Dasharath Samadhi, and link with Purvanchal routes beyond Ambedkar Nagar, enhancing connectivity between Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Chitrakoot.(With inputs from Agencies)