Mumbai News

Mumbai-Pune Expressway: Road Widening To Begin Soon – Mumbai Live

Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) on Tuesday, January 3, announced that the work on the expansion of the Mumbai-Pune expressway will commence soon this year.

For this the initial estimates have put the cost around INR 900 crores, MSRDC directed exclaimed.

Given the subsequent increase in traffic, which leads to jams on weekends and holidays, the government, after carrying out some studies, decided to add one more lane to each carriageway. There is ample land on the sides for the stretch, officials added.

As per sources, the detailed project report (DPR) is almost ready. It will soon be sent to the government for approval, which could take two to four months.

Once the work begins, it will take two years to complete, and thereafter the traffic movement will be smoother, reports further stated.

Explaining about the space for the bridges, officials reiterated, all the bridges that cross the expressway allow space for one extra lane on each side, so there is no need to shift or alter any bridge. As for the tunnels, another officer said, they are a little narrow with space for only three-and-a-half lanes. But vehicles will be cautioned about this.

Besides, it has come to light, owing to the whopping expense that will be spent on widening, the MSDRC might extend the toll collection by one or two years beyond 2035.

For those unversed, the expressway, which is the brainchild of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, was constructed in 1999 at INR 1,600 crores. The work was completed in 2002.

Source: https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm11bWJhaWxpdmUuY29tL2VuL2luZnJhc3RydWN0dXJlL211bWJhaS1wdW5lLWV4cHJlc3N3YXktcm9hZC13aWRlbmluZy10by1iZWdpbi1zb29uLTc2NDkz0gFpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXVtYmFpbGl2ZS5jb20vYW1wL2VuL2luZnJhc3RydWN0dXJlL211bWJhaS1wdW5lLWV4cHJlc3N3YXktcm9hZC13aWRlbmluZy10by1iZWdpbi1zb29uLTc2NDkz?oc=5