Gujarat govt plan Rs 2,000-cr peripheral road project

The Gujarat government has revealed plans to construct a seamless peripheral road project, named the Parikrama Path, which will run along the state's borders with other states and its coastline. The 3,533km project is estimated to cost Rs 2,000 crore and will take two years to complete. It aims to plug missing links between national and state highways, creating three corridors in the process. The first will connect eastern belt roads with the Statue of Unity–Saputara link road, the second will extend from the South Gujarat coastline to Saurashtra and Kutch, while the third will run along the international border in Kutch. Approximately 50% of the stretch of road, comprising national, state, and minor roads, already exists, with the remaining missing links added in phases. The Parikrama Path is being designed to cover important growth centres and help boost connectivity and accessibility, and will touch 79% of the state’s 33 districts and 43% of its 252 talukas. It is expected to boost tourism and connectivity with ports, leading to greater development. The upgrade will be carried out considering future travel demand and traffic volume on existing corridors, with 40% of the distance involving national highways, 33% state highways and 27% other roads and missing links.