Mumbai-Nagpur expressway's last phase expected to be completed by September-end

The entire 701-km-long Mumbai-Nagpur expressway is expected to be thrown open to traffic by September-end when work on the final phase covering a 76-km-long stretch will be completed, providing a seamless travel option to motorists between the two big Maharashtra cities, the project implementing agency said on Friday.

Anilkumar Gaikwad, Chairman and Managing Director, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), told PTI that work on the 76-km-long final phase of the ambitious project, Samruddhi Mahamarg, between Igatpuri in Nashik district and Aamne in Thane district will be completed by September-end barring a small 3-km-long stretch near Khardi town. 

"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. 

He said the construction of west-end corridor of 1.8-km-long twin viaducts at Vashala, located about 7km from Khardi railway station in Thane district, is in full swing and is expected to be completed by November-end. 

Till that time, traffic on both directions will be managed from four lanes on the east-end viaduct in a 3-km-long stretch of the expressway, said Gaikwad. 

In the last phase, the construction of viaducts was a big challenge, especially at Vashala where the tallest point was 84 metres, almost the height of a 28-storey building, stated the MSRDC chief. 

"Despite facing a lot of challenges, we completed the viaducts successfully," he said. 

According to Gaikwad, on the south-end at Aamne, the Samruddhi Mahamarg will be connected with Mumbai-Nashik Highway through JNPT spur, which is a part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad-Delhi Expressway. 

Of the 701-km-long Samruddhi Mahamarg, the construction of 625-km-long stretch has already been completed and opened thrown open to traffic. 

The expressway, officially called the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg -- is a 6-lane access controlled highway in Maharashtra. 

It is the second such road project in the state after the 95-km-long Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The Rs 55,000-crore high-speed corridor, alternatively referred to as a super communication expressway, passes through 392 villages spread over 10 districts. 

Once completed, the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur will be just eight hours from 18 hours earlier. 

The Samruddhi Mahamarg is a greenfield project announced in 2015. The land acquisition for the project began in July 2017 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid its foundation stone in December 2018, while the construction work started in January 2019.