A second Mumbai-Pune Expressway parallel to the existing one, a new expressway from Pune to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and a major infrastructure boost for Pune were among the projects announced by Union
minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Saturday. Gadkari said an expressway, parallel to the existing Pune-Mumbai expressway, with an estimated construction cost of Rs 15,000 crore, will bring down the travel time between the two cities to one and a half hours. The Mumbai-Pune-Bengaluru travel time will be five-and-a-half hours, he said. Gadkari on Saturday said road works valued at Rs 1.50 lakh crore have been approved for Maharashtra for 2026. The works will begin in the next three months, he told reporters on the premises of the Vidhan Bhavan, where the state legislature session is underway. The Nagpur MP visited the legislature complex to attend an event marking the centenary celebration of the Vidhan Parishad. Gadkari told reporters that MSIDC (Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation) will construct a new Pune-Sambhajinagar expressway for Rs 16,318 crore, and an MoU has been processed. Thenew expressway will reduce the travelling time from Pune to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to two hours and from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to Nagpur in two-and-a-half hours. He said the ‘bhoomipujan’ (ground-breaking) of Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur Elevated Road, which is being constructed for Rs 4,207 crore, will be done after the local body elections are over. Gadkari said that the DPR process for the Hadapsar-Yavat Elevated Road is underway, and the work will start after the elections. The Union minister said road works of Rs 50,000 crore have been approved for the Pune region, and construction will begin in the next three months. Road works of Rs 1.50 lakh crore have been approved for Maharashtra. The work will start in 2026. Among these projects, the PWD has been given work worth Rs 50,000 crore, he added.
With PTI Inputs
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