The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is seeking tenders for the construction of three sections of the Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway project.

The project was announced in March 2010 and is currently expected to cost approximately Rs30bn ($428.67m), up from the original estimate of Rs22bn ($314.13m), reported by timesofindia.indiatimes.com.

It will link Dholera SIR and the proposed Dholera Airport, as well as the coastal areas of Bhavnagar and Amreli to Ahmedabad.

Interested parties can submit their tender by the deadline of mid-February.

The construction contracts have a total value of Rs24.31bn ($347.41m).

“One more tender of around Rs6bn ($85.74m) may be announced soon.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lay the foundation stone of the project in February next year with completion scheduled by 2022.

Gujarat Chief Minister principal secretary Manoj Das told the publication that the mandatory 80% land acquisition work for the Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway is complete.

“One more tender of around Rs6bn ($85.74m) may be announced soon.”

The Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway Project was approved by Cabinet Ministry in February last year under the Bharatmala Project.

A six-lane dual carriageway highway will be constructed under the project, with an option to extend it up to ten lanes in Gujarat Dholera Smart city.

The expressway will support fast and easy transit within the region with a proposed design speed of 120km/h.