The first phase of Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Super Expressway, a 360 kilometre stretch between Nagpur and Vaijapur in Aurangabad district, is in the last stage of completion and is all set to be opened for public use by the end of February this year, reports from Indian Express stated.
A K Gaikwad, joint managing director of The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has said that the entire project is expected to be completed by March next year.
The 701 kilometres Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway is expected to reduce the travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai to eight hours from the current 16-hours. Currently, one has to take (NH3 Mumbai-Dhule) and then NH6 (Dhule-Nagpur) to reach Nagpur, travelling 800kms.
The MSRDC, which is the nodal agency for the project's execution has said that over 70 per cent of the work has been completed.
The agency had earlier in December kicked off its land acquisition programme for the proposed Jalna-Nanded extension.
The MSRDC had initially planned to start the first phase of the super expressway between Nagpur and Shirdi, however, the work was delayed due to several factors including the COVID-19 pandemic.