A key road beneath the Karnavati Club bridge on Ahmedabad’s SG Highway has reopened to traffic, ending a closure of about 14 months that forced commuters to take longer diversions through Bhagwan Circle and Zaveri Circle. The route was opened a day before the start of Navratri, offering relief to vehicles travelling between the YMCA Cross Road, Prahladnagar and Karnavati Club areas.
The reopened stretch connects YMCA Cross Road through Prahladnagar towards Karnavati Club. Its closure since August 2025 had required motorists travelling from Sarkhej towards Gandhinagar or Prahladnagar to avoid the direct route. Instead, vehicles had to travel through alternative roads, adding about 3 kilometres to the journey, according to a report by Divya Bhaskar.
The additional distance also increased travel time by an estimated 15 to 20 minutes each day for affected motorists. The impact was expected to be particularly visible during Navratri, when traffic volumes rise around commercial, residential and entertainment areas of western Ahmedabad. The reopening is therefore expected to reduce the need for the earlier diversion for commuters using this connection.
The road reopening is separate from the completion of work on the upper Karnavati bridge. Earlier, the National Highways Authority of India had indicated that the bridge-related work would be substantially completed by October 15. The report said the upper bridge could be opened to traffic by October 30, subject to the completion of remaining works.
According to the NHAI statement cited by Divya Bhaskar, outstanding work included lighting, table checking, thermoplastic road marking and road furniture. The authority also said that potholes beneath the bridge would be filled shortly. It had earlier stated that the remaining work was being undertaken with the aim of completing it before Navratri.
The reopening highlights the effect that a single interrupted link can have on traffic movement along a major urban highway. When the direct connection was unavailable, vehicles were redirected through other junctions, increasing route length and journey times for commuters who would otherwise have used the road beneath the bridge. The report does not provide traffic-volume data or details of the total project cost.
The stretch is located within a heavily used corridor linking the SG Highway with areas including YMCA, Prahladnagar and Karnavati Club. Its operational importance comes from its role as a short connecting route beneath the bridge rather than as a standalone highway segment. The earlier closure meant that local and through traffic had to share alternative routes around Bhagwan Circle and Zaveri Circle.
For commuters, the immediate change is the restoration of the direct road connection. For the authorities, the next stated milestones concern the remaining finishing work on the upper bridge, including lighting, road markings and road furniture, as well as pothole repairs under the structure. NHAI’s earlier timeline placed completion of the remaining bridge-related work by October 31.
