Ahmedabad - Udaipur highway to be 6 - laned

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is launching projects worth Rs 5,047.68 crore.The major projects are six-laning of Ahmedabad-Udaipur, Samakhiali-Gandhidham and Surat-Dahisar. Ahmedabad-Udaipur stretch is important for tourist destinations — Udaipur, Diu and Mount Abu. Presently, it takes around four hours to reach Udaipur, but this will be speeded up by at least an hour. This will make weekend trips easier.The nearly 240-km road is already four-lane, but increasing traffic has made sixlaning necessary. In a tender notice, NHAI said this stretch would cost Rs 2,545.02 crore. The project will involve building new pavements, revamp of existing ones, construction of major and minor bridges, service roads, culverts, road intersections and drains. It will be part of NH-8 and be built with public-private participation. Officials said the project was crucial as entire national highway linking Mumbai and Delhi sees heavy freight and passenger movement. Beginning from Mumbai, NH-8 passes through Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Udaipur, Ajmer, Jaipur and Delhi. The first phase of National Highways Development Project (NHDP) comprises building 5,846 km of four and six-lane highways and expressways connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has invited bids for making Samakhiali-Gandhidham and Surat-Dahisar stretches six-laned and strengthening of Deesa-Radhanpur highway.Officials said the three projects will cost nearly Rs 2,500 crore. Samakhiali-Gandhidham is important as it will enable speedy movement of freight from Kandla port towards Rajasthan. The six-laning project will cost Rs 805.39 crore and include repair, upgrade and widening of existing carriageway. The stretch was part of NH-8A. Surat-Dahisar was part of Mumbai-Delhi national highway. This six-laning project will cost Rs 1,693.75 crore. The build-operate-transfer (BOT) model involves construction of six-lane highways, bridges, widening and revamp of bridges and culverts and building high embankment structures along existing highways. Modern equipment and techniques will be used. NHAI has also decided to go in for improvement of Deesa-Radhanpur and Radhanpur-Gagodhar highway. This will be completed in nine months from date of allotment of contract. Scope of entire project includes maintenance of all assets, facilities and services created. The party selected will also have to provide incident control through road patrol and surveillance and road property management by way of cat eyes, signage and plantation along medians.