Last leg Samruddhi Mahamarg to be openened by March-end; Mum-Pune link to be completed by Aug; at present motorists headed towards Nagpur have to travel to Igatpuri via the old Mumbai-Nashik highway in order to get onto the Samruddhi Mahamarg
The Igatpuri-Amne stretch of the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, which links the state’s economic and agricultural hubs
Two important Infrastructure projects connecting the city to Nashik and Pune will be thrown open to traffic this year. By the end of March, the 76-km leg of the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway, officially known as the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, connecting Igatpuri and Amne near Bhiwandi, is expected to be opened, followed by the Mumbai-Pune ‘missing link’ project.
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Samruddhi Mahamarg
At present motorists headed towards Nagpur have to travel to Igatpuri via the old Mumbai-Nashik highway in order to get onto the Samruddhi Mahamarg. A senior Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) official said, “Work on the Igatpuri-Amne stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg is almost complete and final touches are being made, including the installation of crash barriers and signage. The construction of the carriageway connecting the expressway with old Mumbai-Nashik highway is progressing at a fast pace. We have completed work related to the main carriageway [linking the expressway with the Mumbai-Nashik highway] and the remaining work on one of the approaches is expected to be completed by March 15.”
The tunnels of the Mumbai-Pune ‘missing link’ project, which the MSRDC says is 23 metres wide
Officials added that on the last stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg, there are five tunnels and 16 bridges and because of the difficult terrain, carrying out construction work on this stretch is challenging. The MSRDC has filled potholes and concreted the road that will connect the expressway with the Mumbai-Nashik highway to ensure motorists don’t face problems. With the opening of the stretch between Igatpuri and Amane, motorists will be able to avoid the Kasara ghat and traffic on the old Mumbai-Nashik highway.
The 701-km Samruddhi Mahamarg links Maharashtra’s economic and agricultural hubs, passing through three varied habitat types, starting from the dry deciduous forests near Nagpur, grasslands in the middle section and the Western Ghats near Mumbai.
Missing link project
Work on this project, which will help Pune-bound motorists avoid traffic on the Lonavala ghat section, is progressing at a fast pace and it will be completed by August. The MSRDC has reached out to Guinness World Records, claiming the project includes the world’s widest twin tunnels, measuring 47 metres in width and 1.75 km and 8.92 km in length. The Guinness World Records team has already visited the tunnel site to verify the claim and will be returning in the coming months.
Rahul Vasaikar, superintending engineer, MSRDC, said, “The missing link work is more than 90 per cent complete and we are hopeful that the remaining work will be completed by August. By September or October, the link will be thrown open for traffic. The work on viaduct one has been completed along with that on both tunnels. Work on viaduct two is also in progress.”
The length of the existing Mumbai-Pune expressway section from Khopoli exit to Sinhgad Institute of Technology is 19 km. This distance will be reduced to 13.3 km after the construction of the missing link. So, the total length of the expressway will be decreased by 6 km and the travel time will be reduced by 20 to 25 minutes. Work on a 170-metre-high cable-stayed bridge is progressing at a fast pace.
Every 300 metres, the tunnels (going towards Pune and coming towards Mumbai) will be interconnected to each other so that in case of an emergency, traffic does not get affected. As part of the work, the expressway is being widened at the Pune end of the Khalapur toll plaza after which motorists will travel via bridge and tunnels passing 150 metres below Lonavala lake. The missing link will meet the expressway after the Sinhgad Institute of Technology.
The Mumbai-Pune expressway is a six-lane cement concrete pavement with a 2.5-metre-wide paved shoulder on both sides measuring 94 km in length. National Highway No. 4 from Shil Phata to Dehu Road is a four-lane bituminous pavement with a length of 111 km.
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway and NH-4 meet near Khalapur toll plaza and separate near Khandala exit. The section from Adoshi Tunnel to Khandala exit is a six-lane road but the traffic of a 10-lane road plies in this section. Besides heavy traffic, landslides cause congestion on this stretch. To save time, motorists also tend to speed on the rest of the expressway, resulting in a spate of accidents.
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