The construction of a tunnel from the hills east of Sawangi Junction is in full swing for the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi expressway. State-of-the-art equipment and expert workers are working day and night on the tunnel. MSRDC has given 90 days to complete the tunnel.
Currently, the work of clearing the mountain is being done by heavy machinery. Work on Sawangi junction on Jalgaon Road is also in full swing. The Samruddhi highway will run from Jalgaon Road to Mumbai and work is underway to build a flyover there. Apart from this, in order to provide connectivity to Aurangabad on this highway, facilities are being set up for vehicles to get down and go on the highway. A tunnel is being carved from a big hill to the east of this junction. A state-of-the-art machine, JCB and other machinery is working day and night to dig this hill in Pokhari Shivar. An army of experienced workers from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Sikkim has been deployed for the work. A concrete mesh is laid in the tunnel. The hole is filled with explosives and then detonated. The work of the second tunnel will start after the arrival of more machinery.
Deadline fixed for May
In this regard, superintendent engineer of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation A B Salunke said that it is planned to open the Samruddhi Highway to Nashik on May 1. The Mega Engineering company has been given a deadline to complete the tunnel work by the end of February. Work on the 6-lane road is also in full swing. The 260 meter long tunnel will be constructed on both sides. Work is currently underway on one side until more machinery arrives. If a second machine is received, the work could be completed by the end of February, he said.