Bharuch: The long-awaited entry and exit point on the Delhi–Mumbai Superfast Expressway near Ankleshwar’s Pungam village has been reopened, offering major relief to motorists after a five-day closure caused by heavy rains. With this, those coming from Ahmedabad and Vadodara can utilize the new river bridge over Narmada on Delhi – Mumbai Expressway’s Vadodara – Surat stretch and reach Ankleshwar through Pungam exit, using an approach road.

Traffic on the Pungam–Vadodara stretch has now resumed, while the road from Pungam towards Surat remains closed due to ongoing construction works. Officials said permanent entry and exit facilities at Pungam for Surat-direction will be possible only after under-construction diversion works are completed.

The expressway, which had unofficially started operating between Bharuch and Ankleshwar on September 14, was forced to shut soon after its launch due to torrential rains that damaged approach roads. With the weather improving, vehicles have once again been allowed to move via a temporary diversion near Ankleshwar, restoring Ankleshwar-Bharuch’s connectivity to the three-lane Delhi–Mumbai Expressway.

Currently, two makeshift approach roads have been created near the village—one leading towards Bharuch and another towards Surat. However, both remain unpaved and susceptible to weather damage. Rainwater had rendered them unusable last week, prompting the temporary closure.

After a two-day suspension, traffic movement has resumed on Thursday on the Bharuch-bound route, as rainfall halted completely. The Surat-bound road is still under development and is expected to take more time before it becomes operational.

Vital for Ankleshwar and GIDC Areas

The Pungam entry/exit point is considered critical for industrial connectivity, especially for Ankleshwar, Panoli, and Jhagadia GIDC, which house hundreds of industries. Local representatives had long argued that without this link to Ankleshwar, industrial transportation would face serious hurdles.

Ankleshwar MLA Ishwar Singh Patel, along with representatives of the Ankleshwar Industries Association (AIA), had earlier pressed the government to establish an entry and exit near Ankleshwar. Their demand was accepted, ensuring that the industrial belt, as well as Surat Metro City, gets proper access to the expressway.

With reopening, commuters and industrial traffic have heaved a sigh of relief, though full connectivity towards Surat is still awaited. DeshGujarat