Sarkhej–Gandhinagar Highway

Sarkhej - Gandhinagar Highway
Sarkhej - Gandhinagar Highway
	Highway Map
Route information
	Maintained by Government of Gujarat
Length	44.5 km (27.7 mi)
Existed	2002–present
Major junctions
South-West end	Sarkhej
North end	Gandhinagar
Location
Country	India
States	Gujarat
Highway system
	Roads in India; Expressways; National; State; Asian;

The Sarkhej–Gandhinagar Highway, colloquially the S.G. Road, connects the city of Ahmedabad with Gandhinagar, the capital of the state of Gujarat, India. It forms the major part of NH 8C that connects Sarkhej with Chiloda near Gandhinagar. It is a major artery road for commercial and public transport and is witnessing a major construction boom along its route towards Gandhinagar.

History

The highway was primarily built as a mean to bypass the traffic from the City of Ahmedabad. But the lower land prices lead to a boom in the real estate and retail industry. Presently, the prices of land within the vicinity of the highway are more comparable to those in the downtown areas. It has emerged as a hub for educational, entertainment and corporate parks.

In the year 2015, the National Highways Authority of India transferred the administrative control of the highway to the Government of Gujarat.^[1]

Transportation

The highway is dotted with Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) bus stops which connect the highway with the interior of the city. Also, AMTS has started a feeder air conditioning bus service in association with Airports Authority of India, connecting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport with the city, having the last stop at Karnavati Club on Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway.^[2]

As per the estimation, a minimum of one lakh PCUs (Passenger Car Units) travels per day on this highway^[3]. And, during the festivals and on Mondays and Tuesdays, there is a sharp jump in the volume of traffic.

In the year 2015, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) started earmarking paid parking spots for various categories of vehicles on 4.7 km stretch between Karnavati Club and Hebatpur-Sola on the Highway, where a number of offices and shopping complexes are located.^[4]

Landmarks

The highway is dotted with large-scale retail outlets like Lifestyle, Globus, Croma, and Westside. Various automotive dealership showrooms including Porsche, BMW, Audi, Triumph, DC, Jaguar, Land Rover, Range Rover, Nissan, Volvo, Toyota, Rolls-Royce, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Skoda, Jeep^[5], Ducati^[6] and Mercedes are located on this road.