Kolkata: In the modern world, infrastructure projects can very well be described as the best New Year gifts. A few hours from the stroke of midnight hour to
ring in 2026, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved two highway projects worth Rs 20,668 crore. The two highways that got the CCEA green light are Nashik- Solapur-Akkalkot Corridor and widening of NH-326.
While the widening job would cost an estimated Rs 1,562 crore, he construction of Nashik- Solapur-Akkalkot Corridor project entails a project cost of Rs 19,142 crore. “This project will provide connectivity to important regional cities such as Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Solapur connecting to Kurnool, as indicated in the map. This infrastructure is a significant step to facilitate integrated transport infrastructure development under the PM Gatishakti National Master Plan principle,” said a government press statement.
Nashik- Solapur-Akkalkot Corridor
The greenfield corridor from Nashik to Akkalkot will run from the west coast to east coast. It is supposed to be connected to Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Vadhawan port interchange, Agra-Mumbai corridor at Nashik at junction with NH-60 (Adegaon) and Samruddhi Mahamarg at Pangri (near Nashik). From the Chennai port end, construction of four-lane corridors are in progress from Chennai to Hasapur (MH Border) via Thiruvallur, Renigunta, Kadappa and Kurnool (700 km long).
As stated, the key objective of the six-lane greenfield project corridor is to reduce travel time by 17 hours and reduce the distance by 201 km.
The Nashik – Akkalkot (Solapur) connectivity is expected to improve logistics efficiency for freight to and from major National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) nodes of Kopparthy and Orvakal. Nashik – Talegaon Dighe part of the section also addresses the requirement for development of Pune-Nashik Expressway. The highway will enhance the infrastructure in the region, contributing to the overall economic development of Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Dharashiv, and Solapur districts. The 6-lane greenfield corridor will accommodate average speed of 60 km/h up to 100 km/h.
According to the projections, the highway will generate about 251.06 lakh man-days of direct employment and 313.83 lakh man-days of indirect employment. Needless to say that the economic activity in the region will also generate indirect employment opportunities.
The road widening
The widening project will be in Odisha and run through the districts of Gajapati, Rayagada, and Koraput and will link towns such as Mohana, Rayagada, Laxmipur, and Koraput. It will also improve linkage of Odisha with Andhra Pradesh through the southern end of NH-326. The upgradation will provide direct and improved connectivity from Mohana–Koraput into major economic and logistics corridors — linking with NH-26, NH-59, NH-16 and the Raipur–Visakhapatnam corridor and improving last-mile access to Gopalpur port, Jeypore airport and several railway stations. The corridor will link industrial and logistic nodes. The work will be implemented on EPC mode and is supposed to be completed in 24 months.
