To tide over a cash crunch, the State government has proposed at least eight toll points on the 700-km Samruddhi Expressway.

The super expressway, which is scheduled to be completed in 2021, will cut down travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur to less than nine hours. With motorists expected to pay over ₹1,200 for a one-way journey, it will be one of the most expensive roads to ride on in the country.

Land acquisition over

Last week, the Public Works Department (PWD) completed acquisition of 20,800 hectares starting from Thane, and is likely to use 10,000 hectares for building townships to recover some cost. Now, the PWD will forward the proposal to the State Cabinet for approval. A senior PWD official said, “In times of cash crisis, it is important to come close to meeting the project cost, which is largely funded by the State government. We have decided to install over eight toll plazas even if motorists have to shell out over ₹1,200. The contract has been divided into 16 parts, but the toll will be collected by a single agency after completion of the expressway.”

The expressway will have 33 major bridges, 294 minor bridges, eight rail overbridges, 63 flyovers and 25 interchanges. There will be an underpass at every 7 km and an overpass at every 10 km. Three lanes on each side will allow motorists to clock speeds up to 150 km/hr on flat terrain and 120 km/hr on hilly terrain. A wayside amenity will be set up every 40 km, said officials of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the nodal agency for the project.

The MSRDC is seeking funds of ₹28,000 crore as loan from banks, while the State government is helping out with the land acquisition process. A PWD official said, “Work has started on 18 locations and we have given ₹6,000 crore as compensation to the project-affected.”