The project, with a total length of 374 km, is aimed at strengthening integrated transport infrastructure in line with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. It will improve connectivity between key regional centres including Nashik, Ahilyanagar and Solapur, with onward linkage towards Kurnool.
The proposed corridor will connect to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near the Vadhawan port interchange, the Agra-Mumbai corridor at Nashik through NH-60 (Adegaon), and the Samruddhi Mahamarg at Pangri near Nashik. Once completed, it will provide connectivity from the west coast to the east coast. On the eastern side, four-lane corridors from Chennai to Hasapur on the Maharashtra border via Thiruvallur, Renigunta, Kadappa and Kurnool, covering about 700 km, are already under development.
According to the government, the primary objective of the access-controlled corridor is to improve travel efficiency. The project is expected to reduce travel time by around 17 hours and shorten the travel distance by 201 km. It will also enhance logistics efficiency for freight linked to major National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation nodes at Kopparthy and Orvakal.
The Nashik–Talegaon Dighe stretch of the corridor will also cater to the requirement for a Pune-Nashik Expressway, which has been identified by the NICDC as part of a proposed new expressway being taken up by the Maharashtra government.
Designed as a high-speed corridor, the project will support average vehicular speeds of 60 kmph with a design speed of 100 kmph, enabling safer and uninterrupted traffic movement. The government said overall travel time on the route will come down by 45%, from about 31 hours to around 17 hours, while also reducing congestion and operating costs.
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The corridor is expected to significantly boost regional development by strengthening basic infrastructure in Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Dharashiv and Solapur districts. In terms of employment, the project is projected to generate about 251.06 lakh man-days of direct employment and 313.83 lakh man-days of indirect employment, in addition to further job opportunities arising from increased economic activity along the corridor.
