The proposed expansion of the Pune-Mumbai Expressway to a 10-lane corridor is likely to face further delay after the Maharashtra Cabinet Infrastructure Committee directed the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to conduct fresh surveys before the project is finalised.
The additional survey work is expected to take at least a month, potentially pushing back the approval process and construction schedule. “It will delay the finalisation of the plan,” an MSRDC official was quoted as saying in a report.
Although the Maharashtra government has already granted in-principle approval for developing a uniform 10-lane expressway, the project is still awaiting formal clearance from the Cabinet Infrastructure Committee.
MSRDC had earlier planned to commence construction after the monsoon, with September identified as the tentative starting point. However, the latest development has put that schedule under pressure.
“Now it is not expected to start in September, as per the earlier timeline,” another MSRDC official was quoted in the report.
The proposed project goes beyond simply widening the existing highway. The 24-year-old Pune-Mumbai Expressway is also expected to undergo strengthening and capacity enhancement to accommodate increasing traffic volumes between the two cities.
The estimated cost of the expansion is around Rs 14,260 crore. As the state budget does not have a separate provision for the project, MSRDC has proposed raising funds through loans from financial institutions. To support repayment, the corporation has suggested extending the existing toll collection period by 15 years, from 2045 to 2060.
Land acquisition is not expected to become a significant hurdle, as MSRDC already possesses most of the land required for the proposed expansion.
The corporation has also planned to execute the widening work in phases so that traffic can continue moving along the busy corridor during construction.
Under the earlier schedule, MSRDC aimed to complete the 10-laning project within approximately three years, targeting 2029-30, provided construction began this year. The fresh surveys and pending approvals, however, could now push the project timeline further.
Source: Swarajya
