The Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway, spanning 701 kilometers, is slated to be fully operational by the end of September. The completion of the final 76-kilometer stretch will offer motorists a seamless travel route between the two major Maharashtra cities, according to the project implementing agency.
Anilkumar Gaikwad, Chairman and Managing Director of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), informed PTI that the 76-kilometer final phase of the Samruddhi Mahamarg project, extending from Igatpuri in Nashik district to Aamne in Thane district, is expected to be finished by the end of September. However, a small 3-kilometer stretch near Khardi town remains pending.
"The last phase was the most challenging part of the ambitious 701-km-long project. There were 16 deep valleys and five hillocks. After cutting these hillocks we have constructed five tunnels and bridged the valleys with 16 viaducts. Construction of the viaducts was a big challenge," Gaikwad informed.
Out of the 701 kilometers of the Samruddhi Mahamarg, 625 kilometers have already been completed and opened to traffic. The expressway, officially named the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, is a 6-lane access-controlled highway in Maharashtra. It is the state's second major road project of this type, following the 95-kilometer Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
The ₹55,000-crore high-speed corridor, also known as the super communication expressway, traverses 392 villages across 10 districts. Upon completion, it will reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur from 18 hours to just eight hours.