Vadodara: The construction of the 1,350 km long 8-lane wide Delhi–Mumbai Expressway is ongoing in Gujarat and Maharashtra. In Gujarat, one section of the Delhi Mumbai Expressway from Vadodara to Bharuch is nearly complete and is likely to be inaugurated before the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

Bharuch-Vadodara section of the expressway

A YouTube vlogger recently visited the Bharuch-Vadodara section of the expressway, and as depicted in the detailed video, the road construction in this section is complete, with speed cameras and other amenities installed along the route. The security cameras installed are powered by solar energy, and the plantation alongside the road is also finished. The work on street lighting is currently underway along the route. Construction work on the wayside amenities is progressing, with structures for the buildings ready; however, post-construction work remains. As you travel along the route with Vadodara 52 kms away, a Solar Park emerges on the left side, which will be responsible for supplying power to the expressway.

Final works on the toll plaza at the Karjan interchange are being carried out. After that, the second wayside amenity center comes on the route, and its work is nearly complete, with only finishing touches left, as the drone footage shows. As the journey from Bharuch is nearing completion, finishing work is ongoing at the Padra Interchange toll plaza. At the Padra interchange, travelers will be able to exit the Delhi Mumbai Expressway route while coming from Vadodara. After that, there are two more exits for Ahmedabad. As the Bharuch-Vadodara section ends at the NE 1 interchange, road construction work is ongoing for the Vadodara-Delhi section.

All in all this Vadodara-Bharuch section of the express way is ready and awaiting inauguration which is likely to happen before the announcement of Lok Sabha election in 2024.

Update Vadodara to Godhra section of Expressway 

On the Vadodara-Delhi section, a 68 km segment connects Vadodara to Godhra, as per the latest on-field footage. The entry and exit road at the NE 1 interchange at Vadodara is complete; however, substantial work is left for the bridge being constructed on the alignment. A pond is also being constructed at the interchange, which will enhance the beauty of the journey. After about a kilometer of the journey toward Godra, a small road segment is not yet built due to pending work on the shifting of transmission lines. Along the road, the installation of a drip irrigation system for the plants on the divider and side of the road is progressing. On this route, roadwork is mostly complete, with some segments remaining due to work on the bridges for the transmission line shift.

The road construction work is complete only for about 20 kms toward Godhra, after which earthwork is in progress with no concrete road constructed yet. This section, where over 80% of work is remaining, stretches for about 15 kms. According to the visuals, the work on the 35-km stretch from Godhra toward Vadodara is significantly complete, and similarly, an 18-km stretch from Vadodra to Godra is ready; however, on a stretch of about 15-17 kms on this route, only earthwork is done, and construction of the road will take some time.

On the other hand, now heading towards Mumbai, the Vadodara-Bharuch section is complete, but the roadwork is entirely finished only up to Ankleshwar. After Ankleshwar, there are two interchanges, one at Kim and another in Palsana of Surat, with only 5-10% of the work carried out. Beyond Surat, tree cutting work is in progress to prepare for the alignment work. DeshGujarat