Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval to upgrade two crucial portions of National Highway 56 in Gujarat to four-lane standards, with a total capital expenditure of ₹4,583.64 crore.
Using the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM), the project will cover a distance of 107.67 km in total. Starting in Rajasthan at Nimbahera, NH-56 travels through Gujarat via Dahod and Madhya Pradesh via Alirajpur. It then returns to Gujarat near Chhota Udepur and ends at the intersection with National Highway 48 close to Vapi. In addition to improving access to regional development and tourism, the project will also make the Statue of Unity, which is about 11 km from NH-56, easier to reach.
An average operational speed of about 70 km/h is possible on the rebuilt roadway, which is designed for a 100 km/h pace.
The trip will go from 2.5 hours to 1.5 hours shorter, a reduction of about 40 per cent. There will be more job openings along the corridor as a result of increased economic activity brought about by the upgraded infrastructure.
The jam-filled stretch of NH-56, from Jambugam (Bodeli) to Malotha, a distance of 175 km, is being upgraded in four separate packages by the Indian Ministry of Road Transport and Highways via the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The initiative is in line with the larger infrastructure drive by the government, which is trying to improve connection in tribal and underdeveloped areas, as well as boost logistics efficiency, tourism, and industrial growth in western India.
