The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MDRDC) on Thursday said the Samruddhi Expressway, connecting Mumbai to Nagpur, will be opened for traffic on May 1, 2022.
Radheshyam Mopalwar, managing director of MSRDC, said construction of 152.17 km of the 701-km-long expressway has been completed. He said, “The 520-km stretch between Nagpur and Shirdi will be thrown open for vehicular movement on May 1, 2021. Further extension of the stretch to Bhiwandi, which will take the road’s length to 623 km, will be completed by December 1, 2021. The entire expressway will be ready for use from May 1, 2022.”
Mr. Mopalwar said of the ₹55,332 crore construction cost, ₹40,000 crore will be for carrying out engineering work. He said the development plan is ready for eight of the 19 townships that will come up along the e-way.
“Land acquisition for six of them will be completed by June 2021. These townships can accommodate up to one lakh people. Various businesses and industries will be allowed to set up shop in these townships,” Mr. Mopalwar said.
e-charging stations
After every 40-50 km along the e-way, amenities and charging facilities for electric vehicles will be available. Mr. Mopalwar said an Integrated Traffic Management System will be set up to keep tabs on whether vehicles are speeding, observing lane discipline or suffering breakdowns. The e-way will have eight tunnels, viaducts, a bridge over the railway line, an underpass and an overpass to avoid obstructing the movement of wild animals.
Officially named the Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Highway, the road will connect 10 districts, 26 tehsils and 392 villages. The e-way is expected to reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur to eight hours and boost business along it. The project was proposed by the previous BJP-led government.