IRB has emerged as the preferred bidder for the project of Six-laning of Kishangarh-Udaipur Ahmedabad section of NH-8 under Phase V on Design Build Finance Operate Transfer (DBFOT) Toll basis.

IRB offered a premium of INR2.3 billion (US$34 million) to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the 20-year concession contract. 

The project comprises the development of the Ahmedabad to Vadodara section of NH-8 from km. 6.400 to km. 108.700 (length 102.300 km) and improvement of existing Ahmedabad Vadodara Expressway from km. 0.000 to km 93.302 in the State of Gujarat (length 93.302 km). 

The project when completed will reduce the time and cost of travel for traffic plying between Kishangarh and Ahmedabad whch will connect to Vadodara and Mumbai in the West and Delhi in the East. It will also increase the employment potential to the local labourers for the project activities and development of tourism activities and would boost economic activities in the State of Gujarat and Rajasthan.

In December 2015, GMR Infrastructure's contract to develop the six laning of Kishangarh - Udaipur -Ahmedabad highway PPP project was terminated.

The project was awarded in July 2011 to GMR Infrastructure. According to the original project bid, GMR was supposed to pay a premium to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for 26 years, with the premium being INR6.36 billion($102 million) in first year. In subsequent years, the payout would have increased by 5 per cent. 

Later on, the project was divided into six packages in order to attract bidders. The initial whole 555 km project of Kishangarh-Udaipur Ahmedabad had a total investment estimated at INR77 billion (US$ 1.236 billion).

As we reported a year ago, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), identified 15 road projects that needed funds to be completed.

The list includes 12 toll projects on build, operation and transfer (BOT) model and three annuity projects. Some of them were: 

• Six laning of Kishangarh - Udaipur - Ahmedabad Section of NH 76, 79, 79A and 8 BOT (Toll)
• Four Laning of the Patna-Buxar stretch of NH 30 (Km 0 -124.85) on BOT (Toll) basis
• Four Laning of Parwanoo- Shimla Section of NH-22 (Km. 67 - 156.5) on DBFOT (Toll) basis
• Six Laning of Jalandhar -Amritsar Section of NH-1 on DBFOT (Annuity)
• Four-laning of Bahrampur-Farakka stretch of NH 34 (Rs10.82 billion - US$166.8 million),
• Six-laning of Gurgaon-Kotputli-Jaipur highway under NH-8 (Rs30.39 billion - US$468.5 million)
• Four-laning of Gwalior-Jhansi stretch on NH 75 (Rs4.24 billion - US$65.3 million).