After Dahegam, a new entry and exit point will be developed near Pungam on the Vadodara–Bharuch–Surat stretch of the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, enhancing connectivity for vehicles travelling from the city towards Vadodara and Surat. Work on the approach road has already begun and is likely to be completed within four months.
The expressway, opened in phases, currently connects Vadodara to Kharel near Navsari. Motorists heading towards Surat via Olpad have reported travel savings of nearly 30 km and up to 90 minutes.
However, traffic congestion increased in Bharuch as vehicles from Dahegam bound for Surat were diverted through the city. To ease this, a new entry and exit point near Pungam in Ankleshwar has been approved, with construction now underway. The facility is expected to be operational within four months.
During the earlier construction phase, a temporary exit near Pungam on the Surat–Hansot–Ankleshwar road had significantly improved connectivity and reduced traffic pressure.
As per norms, entry and exit points on national expressways are usually spaced around 25 km apart. Since an interchange already exists near Dahegam in Bharuch, approval for another within that range was initially not possible.
State Water Supply Minister Ishwarsinh Patel later raised the issue with the government, following which the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) approved the new access point near Pungam, located about 10 km from Dahegam.
The move is expected to benefit industrial hubs in Ankleshwar—one of Asia’s largest GIDC estates—as well as Panoli and Dahej, by offering direct expressway access and improving logistics efficiency.