Old Mumbai-Pune highway to be widened to six lanes between Nigdi and Shilphata at Rs 5,000-6,000 crore

There is important news for people who travel daily between Mumbai and Pune. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has decided to widen the old Mumbai-Pune highway to six lanes between Nigdi and Shilphata. The project is expected to cost Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 6,000 crore.

The Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai-Pune Expressway is called the country's first expressway. It was completed many years ago and currently has six lanes. The old Mumbai-Pune highway, which serves as its alternative, still has only four lanes. MSRDC took the decision in view of the growing number of vehicles between the two cities and frequent traffic jams.

The Missing Link was offered as an option to reduce traffic pressure in the Lonavala-Khandala ghat section. Even so, the old highway continues to be crowded with vehicles.

The six-lane work will cover a 111-km stretch from Nigdi to Shilphata. The length of the entire Mumbai-Pune highway is put at 150 to 156 km, depending on the measurement. For the next stage of the project, MSRDC is preparing to appoint a consultant and a tender has also been issued. The consultant will prepare the detailed plan of the project.

About 70,000 vehicles currently pass along the old highway every day. The number of vehicles exceeds the highway's present capacity, so pressure builds up at many points. On festival holidays, weekends and other busy days, long queues of vehicles form on this road.

Despite the two routes, the expressway and the old highway, travellers still face jams. Widening the old highway would therefore allow vehicles to be distributed better between the two routes. If traffic on one route comes to a halt because of an accident, a technical problem or any other reason, the other highway will remain as an alternative. This is expected to bring significant relief to people travelling between the two cities.

According to the preliminary estimate, the six-lane work will cost Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 6,000 crore, but the exact cost of the project has not yet been fixed. The final cost will become clear only after the detailed project report is prepared. To recover this cost, MSRDC is considering extending the period of toll collection. Toll collection on this highway is currently permitted until 2035. Given the cost of the six-lane work, this period could be extended by 10 to 15 years. The project could thus have a direct bearing on future toll collection as well.

Lonavala town is likely to benefit most from the project. The old Mumbai-Pune highway passes through Lonavala, and the road narrows there. The ghat section in particular restricts the movement of vehicles. If the road is widened to six lanes, it could help reduce traffic pressure on this stretch. It is also hoped that this will give a push to the development of Lonavala town.