Varanasi Varuna Corridor Package-1 Tender, Uttar Pradesh

NHAI has opened Package 1 of the Varuna river link corridor at Varanasi, a ₹3,026.88 crore hybrid annuity contract closing on 22 September 2026.

The second river corridor at Varanasi

This package connects NH-31 to the Varanasi Ring Road along the River Varuna, the smaller river that runs through the north of the city and gives Varanasi half its name. Like the Ganga corridor on the other side, the stated purpose is decongestion of the city.

Package 1 covers km 0.000 to km 11.744, but the built length is far greater than that chainage suggests: 28.498 km once the main carriageway, flyovers, loops, ramps and link roads are added together. That ratio, roughly two and a half kilometres of construction for every kilometre of alignment, is the clearest signal of how much grade-separated structure this contract carries.

Package 2 of the same corridor, covering km 11.744 to km 19.420, is already in the market and closes a day later on 23 September 2026.

The commercial read

Earnest money is ₹30,27,00,000 against a ₹3,026.88 crore estimate, one per cent to the rupee, which confirms the figure. The tender fee is ₹3,10,000 and bid validity is 120 days over two covers, on hybrid annuity mode under NHAI headquarters, reference Varuna Corridor Pkg-1.

One thing to check before pricing: this package has been amended heavily. Fifteen corrigenda were issued on 22 July 2026, replacing the document set in fifteen parts. A bidder working from a June download is working from superseded papers, and on a contract this size that is not a small problem.

Hybrid annuity again means the winning firm funds a share of construction and recovers it over the annuity period. Combined with the structure content, that puts this in reach of a short list of national contractors with both balance sheet and elevated-corridor experience.

The plant an elevated corridor needs

Twenty-eight kilometres of mostly grade-separated construction is a structures job wearing a highway label. Piling rigs and excavators open the foundations, and cranes with launching gantries carry pier caps, girders and the flyover spans that make up most of the built length.

Concrete supply governs the programme. Batching plants along the alignment feed concrete mixers running through pier, deck and ramp pours, with wheel loaders keeping aggregate moving. The at-grade link roads and approaches still need motor graders and compactors. Owners planning to place machines against a corridor that will run for years can read our equipment finance guide.

Key facts

How to apply

1. Open the official portal: Central Public Procurement Portal.
2. Search by tender ID 2026_NHAI_281477_1 (reference no. NHAI/HQ/ UP(E)/Varuna Corridor/ Pkg-1) under the National Highways Authority of India.
3. Register on the portal and keep a valid Class III digital signature certificate ready.
4. Download the notice inviting tenders and every part of the fifteen-part corrigendum issued on 22 July 2026, then check eligibility and arrange the ₹30,27,00,000 earnest money and ₹3,10,000 fee.
5. Submit your bid online before 22 September 2026.

More on DesiMachines

Package 2 of this same corridor is open alongside it: see the Varanasi Varuna link corridor Package-2 tender. Across the city, NHAI is also bidding the Ganga riverfront link corridor packages, and further east the Ghazipur to Zamania four-laning tender is taking bids.

Browse more live tenders in Uttar Pradesh or all live tenders on DesiMachines.

FAQ

Tender details are summarised for convenience and may change. Always verify the latest dates, terms and documents on the official tendering portal before bidding. DesiMachines is not responsible for changes made by the issuing authority.