Ankleshwar: After Dahegam, a new entry and exit point will be developed near Pungam on the Vadodara–Bharuch–Surat stretch of the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, improving connectivity for vehicles heading towards Vadodara and Surat from the city. Work on the approach road has begun and is expected to be completed within four months.

The expressway, which became operational in phases, now connects Vadodara to Kharel near Navsari. Motorists travelling towards Surat via Olpad have already reported savings of around 30 km and up to 90 minutes in travel time.

However, traffic congestion intensified in Bharuch as vehicles from Dahegam heading towards Surat were routed through the city. To address this, an entry and exit point near Pungam in Ankleshwar has now been approved, and construction has resumed. The facility is expected to become operational within four months.

Earlier, during the construction phase, a similar temporary exit point existed near Pungam on the Surat-Hansot-Ankleshwar road. This interim arrangement had significantly improved connectivity and reduced traffic pressure.

As per norms, entry and exit points on national expressways are typically spaced about 25 km apart. Since an interchange already exists near Dahegam in Bharuch, approval for another within that distance was initially not feasible.

State Water Supply Minister Ishwarsinh Patel later made a representation to the government on the issue. Following this, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) approved the new entry and exit point near Pungam, located about 10 km from Dahegam.

The move is expected to significantly benefit industrial clusters in Ankleshwar, one of Asia’s largest GIDC estates, as well as Panoli and Dahej, by providing direct connectivity to the expressway and improving logistics efficiency. DeshGujarat