22nd March 2024 Source by https://www.news9live.com/
Ahmedabad Dholera Expressway is a 109- kilometre-long under-construction four-lane access-controlled road that will help tackle traffic congestion on the other roads in the state. The project is being undertaken by the National Highway Authority of India and will ensure smooth movement for travellers commuting journey between Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar.
New Delhi: The Government of India is leaving no stone unturned to ensure a safe, smooth and fastest travel route throughout the nation. In line with that, it is engaged in enhancing railway facilities, air services and spreading vast road networks, ensuring smooth and hassle-free movement for commuters. The development of Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway is one such move of the government to enhance road facilities between two prominent cities, namely Ahmedabad, and Dholera in Gujarat.
Ahmedabad Dholera Expressway is a 109- kilometre-long under-construction four-lane access-controlled road that will help tackle traffic congestion on the other roads in the state. The project is being undertaken by the National Highway Authority of India and will ensure smooth movement for travellers commuting journey between Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar. Sponsored and funded by the Government of India, the project is being developed under Bharatmala Pariyojana. The upcoming expressway will have a route connecting Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) and Sardar Patel Ring Road near Sarkhej through Dholera International Airport at Navagam.
Ahmedabad, and will culminate at Adhelai, Bhavnagar. It will navigate south towards Dholera between NH-8 and SH-4, SH-6, Sabarmati river course or Gulf of Khambat on east side and will have eight major interchanges throughout the route. The expressway will further navigate through Sindhrej, Vejalaka, Sarkhej, Dholera SIR and Adhelai. The expressway is considered as the spine of Dholera SIR.
This greenfield project is expected to reduce travel time between Ahmedabad and Dholera by an hour and will provide direct road services to the Dholera Greenfield Airport. Currently, it takes over two hours for the travellers to reach Dholera from Ahmedabad.
According to the National Highway Authority of India and quoted by Dholera Metro City, the vehicles plying on the expressway upon its completion can reach a maximum speed of 120 kilometres per hour. The work on the construction of the expressway has been speeded up and around 70 per cent of the project has been completed project before the new tentative deadline of August 2024. Additionally, several challenges related to the land acquisitions have also been resolved.
The National Highway Authority of India has not yet declared rules and regulations for the movement of vehicles on the upcoming expressway. However, it is expected that the expressway will follow more or less similar rules followed by other such expressways in the state or across the nation. Notably, twowheelers, three-wheelers, and bullock carts are not permitted to use such expressways across the nation. Additionally, four-wheelers like tractors are also restricted from moving through the expressway, except tractors with trolleys, carrying agriculture products and other important goods.
| Name of the expressway | Ahmedabad-Dholera expressway |
| Estimated cost | Rs 3,500 crore |
| Length of the expressway | Around 109 kilometres |
| Lanes | 4 lanes, expended up to 8 and 12 |
| Status | Under-construction |
| Owner | National Highway Authority of India |
| Project mode | EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) |
| Start point | Sarkhej, Ahmedabad |
| End point | Adhelai, Bhavnagar |
Upon completion, the expressway will ensure smooth, enhanced, safe and fastest connectivity between two designated destinations.
The expressway will play a crucial role in reducing pollution levels, as fast and smooth-moving vehicles have lower emissions.
The expressway will be a four-lane accesscontrolled expressway. Package 1, stretching between Sardar Patel Ring Road and Sindhrej Village; package 2, stretching between Sindhrej Village and Vejalka village; package 3, stretching between Vejalka village and start of DSIR Zone, can be extended up to eight lanes and package four, stretching between DSIR Zone of Ahmedabad District and Adhelai village can be expanded up to 12 lanes.
The expressway will help boost the economy of the state by attracting more investments.
The expressway will be equipped with various amenities, such as truck lay-bys, bus bays, service roads at built-up locations, street lights at built-ups, rest areas, an emergency telecom system and an emergency medical aid post, among others.
Additionally, the NHAI will also plant trees on both sides of the expressway to maintain greenery and reduce pollution levels.
Several pedestrian and cattle underpasses will also be developed at several parts of the expressway to reduce the probability of accidents. The expressway will also enhance movement between Gujarat and the national capital, as it will be interlinked with the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
The concerned authorities have not declared the toll for the vehicles to avail the benefits of the expressway. It is expected that the government will make such an announcement soon after the completion of the project. Additionally, it is also expected that the expressway will have two toll plazas, one is about 35 kilometres from Ahmedabad and another is about 35 kilometres from Dholera.
The expressway is scheduled to be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 3,500 crore. The project has been divided into four package and awarded to different contractors. The value of package one is Rs 690.30 crore, package two is Rs 882 crore, package three is Rs 992 crore and package four is Rs 932.22 crore.
The Ahmedabad-Dholera expressway is considered to be the pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Ahmedabad-Dholera expressway was scheduled to be completed by the end of January 2024. However, it got delayed due to several reasons including heavy rainfall in 2023 and is now expected to be completed by August 2024. The respective contractors are looking forward to completing the project before the dealine.Meanwhile Project-1 of the expressway, stretching between Sanathal and Sindhrej is likely to be completed by March-2024.
Initially, the State Road and Building Department announced the project in March 2010. However, the tenders could not be floated due to several reasons. Later in 2019, the National Highway Authority of India finally issued the tenders, and the land acquisition process for the project was completed in July 2020.
