PM Modi on two-day Gujarat visit from August 25, to launch Rs 307-crore road projects

Gandhinagar, Aug 22 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of road projects worth Rs 307 crore during his two-day Gujarat visit on August 25-26, covering Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Mehsana districts.

The projects, under the state’s Roads and Buildings Department, are aimed at strengthening connectivity, easing traffic, and boosting industrial growth in North Gujarat.

Among the highlights, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the widening of the Viramgam-Khudad-Rampura road -- a 21-km stretch expanded to seven metres at a cost of Rs 33 crore -- expected to accelerate development in surrounding industrial clusters and create new job opportunities.

Foundation stones will also be laid for projects worth Rs 274 crore, including three six-lane vehicle underpasses on the Ahmedabad-Mehsana-Palanpur road (Rs 126 crore), a railway overbridge at Viramgam (Rs 70 crore), the renewal of the Kadi-Thol-Sanand road (Rs 45 crore), and the expansion of the Bapasi Tararam junction to GIFT City into an eight-lane road (Rs 33 crore).

Officials said the upgraded infrastructure will reduce travel time and fuel costs while enhancing road safety. Improved connectivity is also expected to benefit industrial zones, boost logistics, and provide easier access to hubs such as GIFT City and tourist spots like Thol Sanctuary.

Gujarat has emerged as one of India’s leaders in road infrastructure, with over 1.15 lakh km of road network connecting industrial hubs, ports, and rural areas.

The state’s expressways, six-lane and eight-lane highways, and upgraded district and village roads have significantly boosted connectivity, cutting travel time and logistics costs.

Key projects like the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway stretch, and Ahmedabad-Mehsana-Palanpur corridor have strengthened Gujarat’s role as a manufacturing and trade hub. Ongoing investments in underpasses, overbridges, and rural road widening aim to enhance safety, ease congestion, and improve last-mile access, aligning with the state’s focus on industrial growth and urban-rural integration.

The state has approximately 74,500 km of roads, comprising both core (national highways, about 6,000 km of state highways) and non-core roads (district, rural, and village roads). It has around 6,635 km of national highways. There are over 300 state highways, totalling approximately 19,761 km.

--IANS

janvi/dpb