The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) wants to appoint a consultant for the implementation of the 450-km Eastern Maharashtra Expressway, connecting Nagpur to Gadchiroli via Gondia. The said contractor is expected to conduct a feasibility study and prepare a detailed project report to carry out the pretendering activities for the easy execution of this proposed expressway project.
Interested bidders can submit their plan to the MSRDC by making a payment of Rs 10 lakh as earnest money deposit. The bid end date is January 21, 2022. The said contract will be for a year, with a pre-bid meeting on December 21 at the MSRDC headquarters, Bandra Reclamation.
According to an MSRDC official, the proposed expressway will act as a feeder road to the upcoming 700-km Samruddhi Mahamarg, which is currently only from Mumbai to Nagpur. “It will be a greenfield highway, meaning a dedicated alignment will be developed that is not passing any commercial structure/township etc,” said an official. In fact, MSRDC is also connecting Samruddhi Mahamarg to Nanded via Jalna. The official added that the distance between Jalna and Nanded is around 180 km and by developing a dedicated greenfield alignment will further reduce travel time.
Meanwhile, the MSRDC is planning to open phase 1 of Samruddhi Mahamarg from Nagpur to Shirdi early next year. The proposed Phase 1 was scheduled to be open in October but its timeline was affected owing to the Covid-induced lockdown and consequent migration of labourers.
