New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued a tender for appointing a consultancy firm to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed six-laning of the Ahmedabad–Vadodara Expressway (NE-1) in Gujarat. This Expressway currently features two lanes on each side, along with a service lane.

According to the Notice Inviting Tender issued by the NHAI headquarters in New Delhi on February 12, 2026, the DPR will cover the entire 93.302-km stretch of the expressway from Km 0.000 to Km 93.302.As per the schedule announced by the authority, queries can be submitted until March 3, 2026, followed by a pre-bid meeting on March 4. The deadline for downloading and submission of bids is March 14, 2026, up to 11:00 am.

The Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway, known as National Expressway 1 (NE-1), was inaugurated and opened to traffic in 2004 under the Golden Quadrilateral project initiated by then Atal Bihari Vajpayee led Government in Centre. It has emerged as a crucial corridor connecting Ahmedabad, Nadiad, Anand, and Vadodara. It was designed to reduce travel time between Ahmedabad and Vadodara, cutting it from 2.5 hours to roughly 1 hour. It was India’s first4-lane expressway. Over the last two decades, rapid urbanisation, industrial growth, population rise, and increased logistics activity have led to a sharp rise in vehicular movement, now estimated at around 51,000 vehicles daily. With its connectivity to the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway near Vadodara, traffic pressure on the route is expected to increase further.

Over the time, due to increased traffic on this Expressway,the Gujarat Government has requested the Centre to widen it to 8-lane.The proposal was placed before the two-day Transport Development Council (TDC) meeting beginning in New Delhi, chaired by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.

According to officials, the proposed widening is technically feasible as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) already holds adequate right of way along the corridor, minimising the need for land acquisition. As per reports, NHAI already possesses 50 metres of land on both sides of the expressway. The proposal notes that the expansion would ease congestion, enhance road safety and ensure smoother movement between Ahmedabad, Vadodara and onward towards Mumbai. DeshGujarat