Speaking to The Indian Express, Anil Kumar Gaikwad, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), said this new highway will allow commuters to bypass the old Kasara Ghat and travel at a speed limit of 120 kmph.
Starting last week of August, commuters travelling between Mumbai and Nashik, and beyond, will have a new, faster alternative route with the opening of the Samruddhi Mahamarg’s remaining stretch of 76 km from Igatpuri to Amane in Thane. Commuters will save close to one hour as they will be able to cover this distance in around 40 minutes.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Anil Kumar Gaikwad, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), said this new highway will allow commuters to bypass the old Kasara Ghat and travel at a speed limit of 120 kmph.
“The travel time from Igatpuri to Shangrila Resort in Thane, covering a 76 km stretch, will be reduced to just 40 minutes. Currently, this journey takes around 1.5 hours or more due to the ghat section on the old Mumbai-Nashik Highway. The new Samruddhi stretch will feature a twin tunnel, a viaduct that passes through a valley, offering a smoother drive with normal gradient terrain eliminating sharp curves unlike on the old highway. This will also ensure higher safety of travellers,” he said.
He added that while the bridge at Shahapur is under construction, one arm of the four-lane bridge (Nagpur to Mumbai) will get completed by August-end and will be opened to traffic. He said that two lanes each will be utilised for traffic from either side till the second arm of the bridge (Mumbai to Nagpur) gets completed in another couple of months. The bridge is 82 metres in height and two kilometres long. On both sides it has forest and therefore, it is challenging at the construction stage, he said.
He said that traffic from Nagpur to Mumbai, which currently merges at Igatpuri, will merge at Shangrila Resort in Thane once the bridge opens. Additionally, traffic from the existing Nashik Mumbai expressway will be diverted to the Samruddhi Mahamarg, ensuring a smoother flow of movement of vehicles.
Meanwhile, the MSRDC is also expanding the old Mumbai-Nashik Highway, covering a 23.5 km stretch between Vadpe and Majiwada in Thane. Gaikwad stated that 60% of the work has been completed, with the project expected to finish by February next year. This stretch experiences heavy traffic, but the work is progressing rapidly. The project includes the construction of the Kalwa creek bridge, Kasheli bridge, approach roads, and eight underpasses.
The project involves building a new four-lane cement concrete (CC) road using the Right of Way (ROW) of 30 metres on both sides of the existing Mumbai-Nashik Highway. Once completed, the existing four-lane bitumen road will be converted into a CC road, and additional 2+2 service roads will be constructed on both sides. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 1,182 crore. This development is part of the traffic dispersal plan for the Samruddhi Mahamarg connecting Mumbai.
As per MSRDC, of 701-km Samruddhi Mahamarg, on the 625 km of stretch from Nagpur upto Igatpuri town opened for traffic at present, 30,000 vehicles ply on an average and it sees Rs 2 crore toll collection per day.