Maharashtra is now moving rapidly towards completely changing its travel experience. The state government is building a huge expressway grid, which will connect every corner of Maharashtra with wide, fast and modern roads. For a long time, many parts of the state were left behind due to distance and poor connectivity. It took hours to reach from one city to another and even the roads could not provide comfort to the travelers. But the coming times are going to be completely different. This new expressway network will eliminate all these hassles and make travel faster, safer and easier than ever before.
Mumbai–Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway has already been opened for the general public, which has significantly reduced the distance between eastern and western Maharashtra. Now work is going on war footing on two more major roads, Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway and Mumbai-Goa Konkan Expressway. With the construction of these roads, both the internal and coastal connectivity of Maharashtra will be strengthened.
How far has the work of Shaktipeeth Expressway reached?
The work on Shaktipeeth Expressway is continuing at a steady pace. The administration has started the process of land acquisition and measurement of about 70 percent of the land has also been done. It is expected that the remaining survey will be completed by the end of 2025. This expressway will directly connect the central part of Maharashtra with the coast, which will provide great relief to travelers, traders, farmers and tourists. Even remote rural areas will now be able to connect with big cities more quickly and easily.
Along with this, Mumbai-Goa Konkan Expressway has also reached an important milestone. MSRDC has prepared its revised Detailed Project Report (DPR). As soon as approval is received from the government, the work of land acquisition will start. This road will not only increase the connectivity of the coastal area, but will also open new avenues of tourism and trade.
95 percent work of Konkan Corridor completed
At the same time, completion of 95 percent work of 498 km long Big Konkan Corridor is a big achievement for the state. This is the main 376 km long expressway being built parallel to the sea coast, to which 120 km more connectivity roads are being added. This road passes through coastal districts like Raigarh, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg and touches 232 villages and 17 taluks. This project, costing about Rs 68,000 crore, can prove to be the backbone of Konkan’s development in the coming years. This six-lane greenfield expressway will include 41 tunnels, 21 major bridges and 51 viaducts.
12 hours journey in 6 hours
When this expressway will be completely opened, the long journey of about 12 hours from Mumbai to Goa will be completed in just 6 hours. This will lead to a tremendous increase in tourism, new local employment opportunities will be created and new energy will be brought to the small businesses of Konkan. Development will now start picking up pace in areas where slow roads and long routes were hindering till now. This important part of the expressway grid will further strengthen the entire network.
After the commencement of the Samriddhi Expressway, the pace of the remaining projects clearly indicates that Maharashtra is going to become the first state in the country where a strong grid of modern expressways connected to each other will be created. This network will not only make travel easier, but will also open the way for new economic opportunities to every district.
