<p data-path-to-node="2"><b data-path-to-node="2" data-index-in-node="0">GANDHIDHAM / MUNDRA — High-Velocity Port-Connectivity Upgrade Across National Highway 41 Set to Unchoke Heavy Multi-Axle Drayage Between Twin Maritime Gateways in Kutch</b></p><p data-path-to-node="3">In a major infrastructure intervention aimed at accelerating maritime freight evacuation along India’s western littoral, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has formally approved a capital outlay of ₹991.19 crore for the six-laning of a critical 57.80-kilometer section of National Highway 41 (NH-41), linking Gandhidham (Kandla) directly to Mundra in the Kutch district of Gujarat.</p><p data-path-to-node="4">Announced as part of the Centre’s dedicated port-connectivity roadmap under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the engineering initiative upgrades the primary surface transport conduit connecting two of India’s largest commercial maritime installations: the state-run Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) at Kandla and the privately operated Mundra Port.</p><p data-path-to-node="5">The arterial stretch currently sustains heavy commercial freight densities exceeding 55,000 Passenger Car Units (PCUs) per day. Multi-axle trailers, heavy container hauliers, liquid chemical tankers, and dry-bulk dumpers moving cargo between coastal berths, inland container depots (ICDs), and regional manufacturing parks account for a massive share of this daily load. The existing four-lane road configuration has faced severe capacity strains, resulting in persistent choke points at urban fringes, slow transit speeds, elevated fuel burn, and heightened accident risks along the industrial corridor.</p><p data-path-to-node="6">The comprehensive civil works program covers extensive structural and safety interventions executed strictly within the existing highway right-of-way (RoW). The project blueprint includes the construction of a new elevated flyover, multiple grade-separated vehicular underpasses (VUPs) to isolate regional cross-traffic from high-velocity port haulage, the structural reconstruction and widening of major and minor bridges across estuarine creeks, and targeted geometric rectification across several chronic blackspots.</p><p data-path-to-node="7">By transitioning the corridor into an uninhibited, access-controlled six-lane expressway, logistics planners project a minimum 20% to 25% reduction in vehicular turnaround times. Drayage operators shuttling between Mundra's container terminals and Kandla's bulk and breakbulk docks will achieve reliable transit windows of under 50 minutes, significantly lowering inland freight transport costs and mitigating demurrage exposure for cargo owners.</p><p data-path-to-node="8">NH-41 functions as a crucial evacuation artery feeding outbound export-import (EXIM) cargo into the broader National Highway network and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) rail terminals. Expanding the corridor’s nominal vehicle carrying capacity will enhance connectivity for engineering complexes, chemical units, timber processing clusters, and agricultural export mandis located across Kutch, Saurashtra, and northern hinterland states including Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana.</p><p data-path-to-node="9">Project execution authorities confirmed that competitive engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) bidding is moving into its final stages, with on-ground mobilization scheduled to begin shortly under a strict two-year completion window followed by a five-year comprehensive performance and asset-maintenance contract.</p>