The final 76 km stretch of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg, connecting Igatpuri to Amane, will open to traffic within a month, completing the 701-km access-controlled expressway. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), responsible for the project, has already opened 625 km in three phases.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 520-km section of the expressway on December 11, 2022. Since then, two more segments have been opened: 105 km from Shirdi to Bharvir on May 23, 2023, and from Bharvir to Igatpuri on March 4, 2024. Originally planned to open before the Maharashtra assembly elections, the final phase was delayed due to land acquisition issues, particularly at the Thane end. The acquisition of warehouses along the route caused the setback, with the process taking longer than expected.
The most complex engineering challenge in this last phase is a 1.5-km-long bridge at Khardi, located 84 meters above ground. This bridge connects to an 8-km tunnel, designed to bypass the congested Kasara Ghat on the Mumbai-Nashik highway, which is notorious for traffic jams and vehicle breakdowns. Construction is nearly finished, with only final touches remaining.
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At Amane, the expressway will connect to the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway, enhancing access to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and the old Mumbai-Nashik highway.
Work on the expressway began in February 2019, following its announcement in November 2015. The project was divided into 16 packages, and the expressway was designed for speeds of up to 150 km/h, though the speed limit is capped at 120 km/h. The project has a 40-year concession period, during which tolls will be collected.
Although the expressway was initially set to open in mid-2022, a wildlife overpass collapse near Nagpur led to a rescheduled opening in December 2022. Since then, the expressway has faced safety concerns, with nearly 150 accidents and over 200 fatalities. Despite this, MSRDC has struggled to establish wayside amenities along the route.
