After monsoon gridlock, NHAI sets up dedicated unit for Vadodara-Bharuch highway

The Union government has taken steps to ease chronic traffic congestion on the Vadodara-Bharuch stretch of National Highway 48, including establishing a dedicated Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Vadodara. The move follows severe gridlocks that paralysed the highway last monsoon season, prompting local MP Hemang Joshi to raise the issue in Parliament.

Joshi, the Lok Sabha member from Vadodara, had written to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) suggesting the creation of a local PIU. He argued that the absence of an NHAI team in the area had delayed emergency responses and coordination during traffic jams. “Whenever severe traffic congestion occurred, there was no local NHAI team available to provide an immediate response or coordinate relief measures,” Joshi told this publication.

In a communication to Joshi after he raised the matter during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, the ministry confirmed that NHAI had acted on his recommendation. The new PIU in Vadodara will oversee the stretch, ensuring timely patchwork and repairs, and improving accountability. Joshi said, “The dedicated PIU will ensure better coordination on the ground. It will help ensure that patchwork and repairs are carried out as and when required, instead of waiting for teams from elsewhere. I expect the response this monsoon to be much better.”

The ministry also outlined additional measures: construction of bridges over the Vishwamitri, Jambuva, Por and Bamangam rivers is in advanced stages to eliminate bottlenecks; additional service roads are planned along congested urban sections to separate local traffic from long-distance vehicles; 24×7 highway patrolling and emergency ambulance services have been deployed for faster incident response; and the completion of the Vadodara-Navsari section of the Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway is expected to divert heavy freight from NH-48.

Joshi emphasised the importance of the route, saying, “The Vadodara-Bharuch section is a crucial lifeline for both passenger and industrial traffic in our region. With the Ministry taking swift action on our demands and setting up a dedicated NHAI office right here in Vadodara, it will ensure faster execution and better accountability on the ground.”

The recurring monsoon gridlock on the approximately 15-kilometre stretch between Bamangam in Karjan and Jambuva on the outskirts of Vadodara had prompted a joint inspection by the Vadodara police, NHAI, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, the Roads and Buildings Department and the Regional Transport Office during the 2025 monsoon.