The Government of Maharashtra has granted in-principle approval to a proposed four-lane highway connecting Nerul and Shirur, paving the way for a new alternative route between Mumbai and Pune. The decision, cleared by the state cabinet’s infrastructure committee, is expected to ease mounting traffic pressure on existing routes.
The new corridor aims to reduce congestion on the busy Mumbai–Pune Expressway and the old national highway, both of which are increasingly strained by rising vehicular traffic. The proposal was strongly advocated by Amol Kolhe, who called for an alternative route to strengthen connectivity between the two major cities.
The urgency for an additional link became evident earlier this year after a tanker accident near the Adoshi tunnel led to the expressway being shut for nearly 32 hours. With limited diversion options, thousands of commuters and goods vehicles were left stranded, highlighting the risks of relying on a single primary corridor.
The proposed alignment will pass through key locations such as Uran, Karjat, Nerul, Vandre, Pait, Shiroli, Pabal and Malthan before reaching Shirur. Spanning roughly 60 km between the Malshej Ghat and Bor Ghat regions, the project will create an alternative route across the Western Ghats.
Once operational, the corridor is expected to transform travel between the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Pune by offering an additional high-capacity link. It is also likely to benefit industrial hubs such as Talegaon, Chakan and Shikrapur, where heavy truck movement often leads to congestion and delays.
A major engineering challenge involves constructing a 20-km ghat section through the rugged Sahyadri ranges. Authorities are currently in the process of obtaining environmental clearances from the Union government to move the project forward.
Source: Swarajya
