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The plan to make Mumbai-Pune Expressway 10 lanes is in the final stage, MSRDC has sent the proposal, it will cost Rs 14260 crore, toll period may increase, the need arose due to increase in traffic.
New Delhi. Big news has come for those traveling on Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The state government is now preparing to widen this 6-lane expressway because the traffic is increasing every year and the situation worsens on weekends and holidays. For this reason, planning to expand the expressway to 10 lanes by adding 4 more lanes has reached the final stage.
Officials are saying that Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation i.e. MSRDC is going to send a proposal in this regard to the government and if it gets approval then the expressway can be made completely 10 lane by the year 2030. It is estimated that approximately Rs 14260 crore will be spent on this big upgrade.
Why is the need to increase lanes increasing?
Mumbai Pune Expressway is the busiest inter-city highway in the state, where 80,000 to 100,000 vehicles pass every day. This traffic easily increases manifold on weekends and long traffic jams are common. Especially the part where the expressway meets the old Mumbai Pune Highway i.e. NH 4, there is heavy traffic jam every day. There is a 6-lane road from Adoshi Tunnel to Khandala Exit, but here a total of 10 lanes of traffic from both the highways come together and join together. This is the reason why this stretch creates the most traffic jam and sometimes people travel a 2-hour journey in 8 hours.
Earlier there was a plan of 8 lanes
MSRDC had initially planned to expand the expressway from 6 to 8 lanes but considering the traffic projection and missing link project, it is being decided to upgrade it to 10 lanes. Officials believe that after the opening of the missing link, the burden of vehicles will increase further in the coming years. The missing link is about 13.3 km long which will bypass Khandala and Lonavala Ghat section. This project will be ready and opened for traffic by the beginning of 2026.
How will the expenses be covered and for how many days will the toll last?
Out of this mega project of Rs 14260 crore, 40 percent of the money will be given by the state government and the remaining part will be given by the company which will get the tender for the project. It will be almost on the same model as many highways have been built earlier. Along with this, another big decision will be taken and that is to extend the toll period. Currently, the toll deadline is till April 30, 2045, but once the expressway is upgraded, it will be extended further so that the cost of the project can be recovered.
People’s anger and complaints on social media
In the last few months, the condition of the expressway has been much discussed on social media. Many travelers wrote that the old highway road is faster and cheaper than the expressway. Even on Friday evening, people complained that it took up to 8 hours to reach Pune from Mumbai.
