Why Package 26 of Delhi-Vadodara section of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is difficult to construct?

Dahod: The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway construction is ongoing in Gujarat, with packages 26 to 31 of this project falling under the Dahod-Vadodara segment. The first package that falls in Gujarat is Package 26, which starts from Bhimpura Village in Dahod and ends near the Anas River at the state border between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. This package is being built by Atlas Construction at a cost of Rs. 1,971.36 crore. As of now, only 54.21% of the financial progress has been reported on this package, as per NHAI. Meanwhile, other packages on the Dahod-Vadodara section are nearly complete.

The work on this package began in December 2022. It is around 32 kilometers long. From the Vadodara side, the package starts at 726+900 km, and at the beginning, you will notice a village road crossing, with girders lying around for the overpass construction. As we move ahead, girder erection work is ongoing on one side. After that, hill cutting work is taking place.

It is noteworthy that in our last update, the work was not progressing at a good pace, but this time, the pace seems to have improved, with bitumen laying happening in small patches (around 1-2 km).

One of the main reasons for the slow progress on this package is its hilly terrain and uneven alignment. Several structures are being built to smoothen the road in this package. The work is actively going on across the package, whether it is for minor bridges or major bridges. At some places, bitumen laying work is completed in patches, with the areas needing bridges or structures still pending.

At 719+000 km, excavation work is ongoing, with blasting activity taking place for faster execution. As we move ahead, work on DBM (Dense Bituminous Macadam) laying is going on, along with work on bridges.

Next comes the Limdi Interchange near NH 56 (Dahod-Zalod Highway), where toll plazas are ready, but the work on approach roads on both sides of the toll plaza is still pending.

As we move ahead, at around km 711+100, land filling work for the wayside amenities has started.

More or less, the work on this package is slow due to its mountainous and uneven nature. However, since the last update we shared in November 2024, the work pace has picked up. In most parts of the package, work on bridges and bitumen laying is ongoing. Therefore, it is likely that this package will be ready by the end of 2025.

This package ends at km 696+890, just before the Anas River. The bridge over this river is complete and ready, and the connection from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh will be made through this bridge.