‘New 130-Km Expressway To Cut Mumbai-Pune Journey To Just 90 Minutes’: Nitin Gadkari

There is some good news for those travelling between Pune and Mumbai. The Mumbai-Pune journey usually takes about two and a half to three hours. If there is traffic in the ghat section, then even four to five hours are not enough to cover the same distance. However, information has now surfaced that the Mumbai-Pune distance will soon be covered in just 90 minutes. Superfast travel between Mumbai and Pune is now on the horizon. 

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari made a major announcement on Saturday at the Vidhan Bhavan. Gadkari informed that development works worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore have been sanctioned in the state in the coming year, and of these, works worth a staggering Rs 50,000 crore will be given to the Public Works Department (PWD). 

These development projects will include several important initiatives that will enhance the lives of residents in Pune and Mumbai. Gadkari announced a significant project that will give a new direction to travel between Pune, Mumbai, and further south. A common express highway is being constructed that connects to the Pune-Mumbai Expressway. This Greenfield link will be 130 kilometres long, stretching from Atal Setu to JNPT Chowk to Pune-Shivapur Junction.

He claimed that works worth approximately Rs 50,000 crore have been sanctioned for Pune district alone under the Road and Transport Ministry, which will commence in the next three months. This includes several important elevated projects, such as the ambitious four-tier project at Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur, worth Rs 4,207 crore. This project will have a road at the bottom, two flyovers above it, and a metro line at the very top. The tender process for this project has been completed. He also informed that the Hadapsar to Yavat project, worth Rs 5,262 crore, will be of an elevated design.

Mumbai Pune journey: The groundbreaking ceremony will take place after the elections

Speaking on Saturday, Gadkari said that the groundbreaking ceremony will take place after the elections. In addition, an MoU has been signed for the Hadapsar to Yavat highway. Its foundation stone laying ceremony will also take place after the elections. 

The NHAI will construct a highway from Pune (Khed) to Nashik Phata. 93% of the land acquisition has been completed, and the work will be done in two phases: Nashik to Alandi and Alandi to Khed. Work is also underway on roads such as the Nagpur to Katol section and the Katol bypass. 

Projects worth approximately 60,000 crore rupees have been approved in the annual plan, of which projects worth 20,000 crore rupees are in the approval stage. A total of 1.25 lakh crore rupees worth of work will be done in Maharashtra. In the coming year, projects worth 1.5 lakh crore rupees will be undertaken in Maharashtra. Of this, fifty thousand crore rupees worth of work will be done in Pune and the surrounding areas alone.