First phase of Mumbai-Nagpur expressway to open for public on May 2

Pic/Sameer Markande

The first phase of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway - Nagpur to Shelu Bazar - which is 210 km, will be opened to the public on May 2. Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde reviewed the first phase of the green highway at Nagpur on Friday. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will inaugurate it on May 2.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is carrying out the project of the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg at a cost of Rs 55,000 crore.

"We are planning to complete the project before December 2023. As this is an expressway we are ensuring safety for commuters. We will have a Quick Response Team in which para medical staff will be deployed. They will help injured commuters in accidents. We will also develop a helipad for an air ambulance," Shinde said. He said the Quick Response Team will be deployed even before the expressway inauguration. The 701 km expressway will be the first green highway in the country, with an air ambulance.

Rural areas to change

Shinde said the expressway will change the future of a rural and semi urban area. It will connect them to mega cities and with the Jawaharlal Nehru port. "As per MSRDC's plan, 18 new cities will be developed along with the expressway. We are working on detailed projects of cities. Also MSRDC will plant more than 11 lakh trees and 22 lakh shrubs along the road," Shinde said.

The Nagpur-Mumbai super communication expressway named the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Pic/Sameer Markande

This expressway project will connect 10 districts of the state and pass through forests. "MSRDC has made provisions for wild animals in the form of three subways and three bridges for them. The work on one bridge is completed while the work is going on, on the other two," Shinde added.

Greenery along the highway

Managing Director of MSRDC Radheshyam Mopalawar shared more details of the plan of the green highway. "We will plant 11.50 lakh plants along the road in three rows. The first line is for bamboos. The whole 701 km will have bamboos along it. The other variety of trees and plants will be decided under guidance of the Botanical survey of India, but mostly they will be local varieties," Mopalwar said. He said the planting of plants and trees for the project will cost Rs 400 crore and they will be maintained for seven years.

It will take 40 years to recover the cost of the project. Currently, Mopalwar said, the toll fees will be Rs 1.72 per km while for the Mumbai-Pune expressway the toll fees are Rs 2.95. He also said they have marked 21 plots for amenities which could also be used as helipads.

Speed limit

The speed limit has been kept at 120 km on the expressway. Shinde said, "I myself have driven at a speed of 120 km here, but since the road is smooth, one can't feel the speed."

No plan for train

Shinde said the state government has no plans for a high speed train along with the expressway. "If the central government has any such plan they can go ahead," he said. A few days back leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis had spoken about there being a plan for a high speed train along with the expressway.

210 km
Length of first phase: Nagpur to Shelu Bazar

Rs 55,000 cr
the estimated cost of the entire expressway project