Ankleshwar: An 85 km long Vadodara-Bharuch section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway was recently opened for the public. However, it has only been opened until Dehgam and not extended to Ankleshwar, even though that road is also ready. Industry bodies and representatives have demanded the opening of the expressway till Ankleshwar, which is already ready, to save time for those traveling towards Ankleshwar and Surat. The bridge on the river Narmada connecting Bharuch and Ankleshwar is also complete.

Mahesh Patel, former President of Ankleshwar Industries Association (AIA) Ankleshwar, highlighted the convenience of the new expressway, allowing one to reach Bharuch from Vadodara in just 40 to 50 minutes. However, the traffic challenges faced in Bharuch city on the route to Surat are severe. After driving at speeds of 100 to 120 km/h on the expressway, drivers are forced to slow down to 20 to 40 km/h. Opening the road to Ankleshwar, which is already complete, would not only save time, fuel, and money but also alleviate the current traffic situation, he added.

While the expressway has been opened till Dehgam, it has not yet been extended to Ankleshwar. Drivers currently have to navigate through National Highway 48 from Dehgam via Narmada Chowkdi to head towards South Gujarat. Due to the construction of an elevated corridor near Bharuch, there is a 5 km long traffic jam daily on Dahej Bypass. Although it takes only 40 minutes to reach Bharuch on the Express Highway, it takes 60 minutes to reach Ankleshwar from Dehgam via Narmada Chowkdi. This distance is only 13 km, but due to traffic, drivers’ time is wasted. If the road from Dehgam directly to Ankleshwar Pungam is opened, the distance of only 8 km can be covered in 5 to 10 minutes, saving 23 km of diversion. The road from Pungam connects directly to Hansotwala Road, leading straight to Surat via Olpad. Opening this part of the highway would allow vehicles heading towards Surat to bypass the expressway and travel directly.

Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi had inaugurated the Vadodara-Bharuch stretch of Delhi – Mumbai greenfield national expressway virtually from Navsari on February 22nd.DeshGujarat