Gandhinagar: The Gujarat cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to widen the Ahmedabad–Mehsana highway into an eight-lane corridor from the existing four lanes. The upgraded highway will also feature 7-metre-wide service roads on both sides.The 51km widening project will be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 2,630 crore and is expected to be completed within two years after the tendering process.The Ahmedabad–Mehsana highway currently witnesses daily traffic of over one lakh vehicles, leading to frequent congestion along the stretch. Officials said that once expanded, travel time between Ahmedabad and Mehsana will reduce to 45–50 minutes from the present 60 minutes.Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, state govt spokesperson Jitu Vaghani said the project will include an elevated corridor, eight flyovers and eight underpasses. “Upon completion, people from Mehsana, Patan and Banaskantha districts in North Gujarat will benefit significantly,” Vaghani said.Originally converted into a four-lane highway in 1999, the road already has service lanes on both sides.To ease traffic congestion in Kalol city, a 6.1km elevated corridor will be constructed, connecting five overbridges and flyovers. This will allow highway traffic to pass through without disrupting local city movement. Vaghani added that all existing overbridges and flyovers will be widened to eight lanes, while the new structures will also be eight-lane.Underpasses will be constructed at eight locations — two near Shertha, one near IFFCO Kalol, two within Kalol city, one near Chhatral, and one each near Nandasan and Ganeshpura.
