In all 14 companies have submitted a total of 33 bids to construct the Virar-Alibaug Multi-Model Corridor (VAMMC) which aims to connect three districts of Palghar, Thane and Raigad. The 126-km VAMMC project will be implemented by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). The bids were invited for constructing 96.4 km of the first phase of the Corridor between Navghar in Palghar district and Balavali in Raigad district.
“We have received bids from 14 engineering majors and are currently evaluating the same. Once we are done with the technical evaluation, we will open the financial bids before announcing the winner,” a senior MSRDC official said, not wishing to be named. The entire project is likely to be completed by 2030.
Key Details And Progress Of Mumbai-Goa Greenfield Expressway Project
When asked about the completion period of the first phase, the official said the winning bidder will be given a period of three years from the date of signing. The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 55,000 Crore and the total length of the expressway is 126 km. The access-controlled road will have eight to 14 lanes with a lane width of 3.75m. “While the expressway has been designed for the speed of 120 kmph, the right of way (RoW) will be 45m, 69m, 99m and 126m in different stretches. We will require 1,347 Ha of land for the Greenfield expressway, the acquisition of which is currently on. MSRDC will be spending Rs 22,000 Crore to acquire the land,” the official added.
This greenfield expressway was originally planned in 2011 by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), but in September 2020, a deal was signed to hand over the construction to MSRDC. The project’s alignment passes through three districts of Raigad, Thane, and Palghar of which 61.29 Ha of land will be acquired in Palghar, 520.92 Ha in Thane and about 765.01 Ha in Raigad.
MSRDC's Progress And Plans For Mumbai-Goa Highway Expansion Project
MSRDC has already received environmental clearance for the 18-km stretch between Chirner and Balvali in June 2021. Approximately 5,000 trees are likely to be cut for the project and 221 Ha of forest land is to be diverted. The Corporation has also applied for forest clearance for the Navghar-Chirner section in September 2022.
MSRDC had invited requests for qualification (RFQ) applications for construction in April 2023 and opened bids in June 2023 to reveal 28 firms had submitted applications. In all 18 firms qualified to the request for proposal (RFP) round in December 2023. MSRDC then invited price bids from these 18 firms in January 2024 with a construction deadline of 900 days.
