Surat: The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) is planning several key projects to strengthen the city’s infrastructure, with a focus on easing traffic congestion, improving road safety, and maintaining Surat’s top ranking in cleanliness. Major proposals related to new bridges, flyovers, road works, and sanitation initiatives will be placed before the Standing Committee meeting scheduled for Thursday.

Surat, often referred to as the “Bridge City”, is likely to get another bridge near the Udhna Railway Yard. A proposal to construct a new four-lane flyover at the Nilgiri Circle–Sanjaynagar Circle junction in the Limbayat area has reached the final approval stage.

The flyover will be built on the 45-metre-wide TP Road under the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) model. While the initial project estimate was ₹81.71 crore, tenders were floated as per the 2023–24 Schedule of Rates at ₹60.61 crore. After the first round was scrapped, Rachana Construction Company emerged as the sole bidder in the second round. The firm initially quoted ₹66.67 crore—around 9.99 per cent higher than the estimate—but later agreed to execute the project for ₹66.38 crore. Following a favourable technical opinion from the Bridge Cell Department, the proposal to award the contract has been placed before the Standing Committee.

Municipal officials said the new flyover is expected to provide a permanent solution to traffic congestion and frequent accidents in the Limbayat area, particularly near the Udhna railway yard, where heavy vehicles move continuously. The project is expected to improve highway connectivity and significantly ease internal traffic in Limbayat, Godadara, and Parvat Patiya, while also enhancing road safety for local residents and school-going children.

In another major traffic-related initiative, SMC has initiated the administrative process for constructing entry and exit ramps at the Seemada–Sarthana flyover to allow smoother ascending and descending movement towards Sarthana Junction. Against an estimated cost of ₹17.27 crore, Rachana Construction Company submitted the lowest bid of ₹18.82 crore, which was 8.99 per cent higher than the estimate. The company later revised its offer to ₹18.73 crore, after which the proposal was forwarded to the Standing Committee for approval. Once completed, the ramps are expected to improve traffic flow and reduce bottlenecks along the Seemada–Sarthana stretch.

Beyond traffic infrastructure, the civic body is also focusing on maintaining Surat’s top position in national cleanliness rankings. To retain the number-one rank in the upcoming Swachh Survekshan 2025–26 and move closer to the goal of becoming a completely garbage-free city, SMC plans to appoint a special consultant at a cost of ₹1.71 crore. A dedicated Project Implementation Unit will be formed to improve garbage-free city ratings and modernise waste management systems under the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Once approved and implemented, these projects are expected to significantly improve traffic movement, road durability, civic cleanliness, and overall urban infrastructure in Surat. DeshGujarat