Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis on May 26 inaugurated the second phase — an 80 km stretch — of Nagpur-Mumbai ‘Hindu Hrudayasamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg’, between the temple town of Shirdi and Bharvir near Nashik.
The 701-km long super communication expressway built at a project outlay of ₹55,335 crore reduces the travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai by 10 hours. It runs past 392 villages across 10 districts and the construction is being carried out by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation.
Usually, it takes 17 to 18 hours to cover a distance of 839 km between two major cities of Maharashtra.
The first phase, which connects Nagpur to the temple town of Shirdi in Ahmednagar district covering a distance of 520 km, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December last from Nagpur. It has reduced the travel time between Nagpur and Shirdi from 10 to five hours.
Said to be the brainchild of Mr. Fadnavis, who represents the Nagpur South West Assembly constituency, the expressway was conceptualised when he was the chief minister and Mr. Shinde as PWD Minister in 2015. The project aims to aid the Western State’s economy by decongesting transport logistics as it connects Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai to MIHAN in Nagpur which will make it possible to deliver essential goods across India on time by fast transportation from the port. It further connects to Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
This six-lane access-controlled road, designed for a top speed of 150 kmph, is the second expressway in the State after the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The maximum speed for vehicles travelling on this expressway is 100 kmph in Ghat sections and 120 kmph on plain terrain roads.
The entire stretch of 701 km is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2023 or by March 2024.
State Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and other leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena were present during the inauguration of the 80 km stretch constructed with a cost of Rs. 3,200 crore. It is expected to increase activity to different villages in Nashik, Ahmednagar, and Pune districts through an interchange at Gonde and Sinnar, apart from easing the commute for those travelling to Shirdi from Mumbai, Thane, and Nashik.
It is also expected to be a boon for locals as it brings medical facilities closer to the residents of Shirdi and the regions around it. The SMBT hospital located at merely 500 metres from the Bharvir interchange, can be accessed from Shirdi in less than an hour.
This stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg will comprise three interchanges at three plazas, six weighbridges, seven major bridges, 18 minor bridges, 23 light vehicular underpasses, 30 underpasses, 56 toll booths, apart from other facilities.
This mega project has benefitted 24 districts from Vidarbha, Marathwada and North Maharashtra and ‘Samruddhi Corridor’ is expected to directly impact about 36% of the State’s population residing along the expressway and will be the country’s most extensive ‘greenfield’ route alignment with 23.65 lakh saplings and over 11 lakh trees on both sides.
It passes through three wildlife sanctuaries — 29.6 km passes through the Katepurna Wildlife Sanctuary in Akola; 29.15 km via the Karanja-Sohol Black Buck Sanctuary in Washim; and 44.975 km through the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary in Thane.
The Shinde-Fadnavis government is confident that the “Mahamarg” will generate massive direct and indirect employment opportunities, and workers migrating to big cities in search of employment will find jobs near their hometowns.
