Ahmedabad, July 5 (IANS) Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar received a major transport infrastructure boost on Sunday with the inauguration of Gujarat’s first cable-stayed flyover in an urban area, while the state government also launched a project to widen a key bridge on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar corridor to ease growing traffic congestion.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the newly constructed cable-stayed flyover at Bhat Circle on the Gandhinagar-Airport Road and simultaneously laid the foundation stone for widening the existing six-lane bridge over the Narmada Main Canal between Koba Circle and Bhat Circle into a 12-lane structure.

The 1.48-km-long flyover has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 175 crore through a 50:50 partnership between the state’s Roads and Buildings Department and the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA).

According to the state government, it is the first cable-stayed flyover bridge in Gujarat’s urban area.

The government has also approved a Rs 48 crore project to construct new three-lane bridges on both sides of the existing six-lane bridge over the Narmada Main Canal near Koba Circle.

The expansion is intended to remove a bottleneck between Koba Circle and Bhat Circle and maintain uninterrupted six-lane capacity across the corridor while accommodating future traffic growth.

The Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar corridor is one of the busiest road links in the state. The government said more than 1.93 lakh vehicles use the Gandhinagar-Koba-Airport Road and the S.P. Ring Road every day.

Bhat Circle, a major junction on the Gandhinagar-Airport Road, has frequently witnessed traffic congestion, resulting in delays and increased fuel consumption for commuters.

With the new flyover now operational, traffic on the S.P. Ring Road will pass beneath the structure, while vehicles travelling between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar will use the flyover, separating the two traffic streams.

The project also includes dedicated six-lane service roads, with three lanes on either side, for vehicles travelling towards the S.P. Ring Road, Vadodara and Surat.

Among those present at the inauguration were MP Hasmukhbhai Patel, Gandhinagar MLAs Rita Patel and Alpesh Thakor, Gandhinagar Mayor Mira Patel, city BJP president Ashish Dave, Roads and Buildings Secretary Prabhat Patiya and other senior government officials.

–IANS

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