In a major step towards easing traffic congestion and reducing accidents on the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has accelerated plans for key infrastructure projects. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari recently inspected the Khambatki Ghat and Navale Bridge areas in Pune to review ongoing traffic issues.
To reduce traffic pressure on the highway, authorities are planning to construct five to six flyovers at key congestion points. Several additional traffic management measures are also being proposed, which could potentially reduce the Pune-Satara travel time to just one hour. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) worth nearly ₹6,000 crore is currently being prepared for the project.
The Pune-Satara highway has been witnessing increasing traffic due to the growing number of vehicles, heavy transport movement and frequent bottlenecks, causing long delays for commuters. To tackle these issues, the Central Government and NHAI are fast-tracking major infrastructure upgrades, including multi-level flyovers along the route.
Flyovers are proposed at traffic-prone locations such as Khandala, Shirwal and other major congestion zones. These projects are expected to significantly reduce traffic jams near towns and improve the movement of industrial and goods transport vehicles.
Meanwhile, a western bypass project between Pune and Satara is also under consideration. The proposed DPR for the project is estimated at around ₹6,000 crore. Authorities have begun preparing a blueprint for a new 140-km route, which is expected to divert heavy vehicles away from the main highway and improve overall traffic flow.
Senior NHAI engineer Suhas Ghante said that black spots on the Satara-Pune highway will be removed and necessary infrastructure improvements, including flyovers, will be implemented. According to him, once the proposed works are completed as per the directions of Gadkari, the distance between Pune and Satara could be covered in nearly one hour.
