India’s first access-controlled highway, the six-lane Mumbai-Pune Expressway, is set to be widened into a 10-lane expressway, in a bid to reduce traffic congestion, enhance safety, and improve commute times for thousands of daily travellers, News18 reported.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is leading this major infrastructure project. The estimated cost is around Rs 14,260 crore. A detailed proposal has already been prepared and is set to be sent to the Maharashtra state cabinet for final approval. Once it gets the green light, the project will move into the construction phase, which will be carried out in multiple stages over the coming years.
Opened in 2002, the expressway is a 94.6-kilometre-long stretch linking Mumbai, the financial capital of India, to Pune, a growing industrial and educational city. On weekdays, the expressway handles about 65,000 vehicles a day. This number jumps to more than 1 lakh on weekends. With traffic growing by nearly 5 to 6 per cent every year, the need for expansion has become urgent, The Times of India reported.
To handle the rising traffic, authorities have decided to add two lanes on each side, making it a 10-lane expressway.
“Current road capacity is no longer enough to meet the growing traffic demand. Detailed traffic surveys have shown that expansion is necessary,” News 18 quoted a MSRDC official as saying. Another survey is currently in progress to identify how much land will need to be acquired and to finalise the technical aspects of the project.
The upgraded expressway will not only be wider but also come equipped with improved safety features and quicker emergency response systems. These enhancements will ensure safer and more comfortable journeys for all users. Better road conditions will also help in smooth overtaking and less stress on drivers.
Apart from improving daily travel, this expansion is expected to have a positive effect on Maharashtra’s economy. Better road connectivity encourages more trade, tourism, and investment, which can help local businesses grow and bring in new development opportunities.
According to MSRDC, land acquisition challenges are expected to be minimal. "MSRDC already holds land adjacent to most parts of the existing expressway. Only limited additional land near tunnels will be needed. These land parcels are near the tunnel zones," TOI quoted an official involved with the project as saying.
However, some commuters are worried that toll fees may increase once the upgraded expressway is operational, according to the CNBC TV18 report. While officials have not yet confirmed this, it remains a possibility given the scale and cost of the project.
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