Mumbai: A day after Shiv Sena’s defeat in the Amravati Teachers’ constituency and NCP’s victory in Aurangabad Graduates’ seat, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray flew to Amravati and Aurangabad and reviewed the development of 701 Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Marg. Thackeray said the first phase between Nagpur-Shirdi will be commissioned by May 1, 2021.
‘’The project is on a fast track. It was expected that lockdown would hamper the pace of the highway construction, or it might stop for a while but the work has not slowed down. I am confident that we will be able to travel from Nagpur to Shirdi on this highway by coming May 1,’’ said Thackeray. He further added, ‘’The work on this route is going very well and we are completing it by taking all due care. We will reach Shirdi by the upcoming May 1 and by the next May 1 we will reach Mumbai.’’
Thackeray hailed the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) team and field workers for the construction work even during the present Covid 19 crisis.
This is Thackeray’s maiden visit to the project sites. It was to counter BJP’s repeated criticism that he was working from home and not touring the state citing the coronavirus pandemic.
MSRDC vice chairman and managing director Radheshyam Mopalwar said the first phase of 520 km of the total 701 km Nagpur Mumbai Samruddhi Corridor or super communication expressway will be operational by May 1, 2021. This phase is between the orange city Nagpur and Shirdi.
The second phase of 103 km between Shirdi and Igatpuri will be opened for traffic in December 2021 while the remaining 78 km between Igatpuri and Wadpe near Mumbai will be commissioned on May 1, 2022.
The 701 km expressway named after the Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray will be fully operational from May 1, 2022.
It will connect 10 districts, 26 talukas and 392 villages.
The expressway will cut down the travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai from 16 to eight hours.
