Image of highway. Representational image.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Mumbai: The iconic Samruddhi Mahamarg -- the country’s longest Greenfield road project and an infrastructure project -- is now fully ready.
The Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway, which is formally known as Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, is a 701-km-long international class super highway.
This world-class Expressway connects Mumbai to Nagpur, the winter capital of the state and the hub of Vidarbha region and central India.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar will inaugurate the final stretch from Igatpuri in Nashik to Amane in Thane, the Phase-III of the project, on June 5, 2025 marking the completion of one of the most ambitious projects.
The Phase-I of the project from Nagpur to Shirdi was inaugurated on December 11, 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in presence of Shinde, the then CM and Fadnavis, the then Deputy CM. The Nagpur-Shirdi stretch is around 520 km.
Thereafter, on May 26, 2023, Shinde, the then CM and Fadnavis, the then Deputy CM, inaugurated Phase-II of the expressway from Shirdi to Igatpuri in Nashik district, a distance of around 80 km.
The 701-km expressway has been built at a cost of about Rs 55,000 crore and is one of India's longest expressways, passing through Maharashtra’s 10 districts and prominent urban regions of Amravati, Aurangabad and Nashik.
The expressway will also help improve the connectivity of adjoining 14 other districts, thus helping in the development of about 24 districts of the state including the regions of Vidarbha, Marathwada and North Maharashtra.
Espousing Prime Minister’s vision of integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects under PM Gati Shakti, the Samruddhi Mahamarg will connect to the Delhi Mumbai Expressway, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and tourist locations like Ajanta and Ellora Caves, Shirdi, Verul and Lonar.
Samruddhi Mahamarg will be a game-changer in providing a major boost to economic development of Maharashtra.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Ltd (MSRDC) is the nodal agency for the project.
The Phase-III was jointly funded by the MSRDC and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
It features three key interchanges, at Igatpuri, Kutghar in Shahapur and Amane near Thane, as well as India’s longest road tunnel, stretching 7.8 km through the Kasara Ghat region.
After Phase-III commissioning, the entire 701-km Expressway will be fully functional which will reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur from 16 hours to just eight -- almost half the time needed earlier. The project is designed for speed up to 150 kmph and includes 33 major bridges, 274 minor bridges, 65 flyovers and six tunnels.
Salient features
Total length: 701 km
Project cost: Rs 55,000 crore
It passes through 10 districts, 390 villages
It will boost development of about 24 districts in Vidarbha, Marathwada and North Maharashtra
It has 33 major bridges, 274 minor bridges, 65 flyovers and six tunnels