Final leg of Samruddhi e-way to open by March

An inaugural function will be held in March depending on the availability of the chief minister and two deputy chief ministers

Mumbai: If things go according to plan, motorists will be able to take the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi expressway from Bhiwandi itself by March this year. Work on the 76-km stretch between Igatpuri and Amane near Bhiwandi will be completed by month-end, following which it will be inaugurated by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, said officials from Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the nodal agency for the project.

There were plans to partially open the 76-km stretch between Igatpuri and Amane in November-December 2024, but they were shelved due to delay in formation of the state government and distribution of portfolios. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

“Lane-marking and painting works, which are undertaken only after all other works are completed, have commenced. They will be completed by February 25-27, after which the highway will be ready for public use,” said an MSRDC official in the know of the project.

An inaugural function will be held in March depending on the availability of the chief minister and two deputy chief ministers, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, the official added.

Currently, motorists can access the expressway from Igatpuri near Nashik till Nagpur, a drive of 625 km. There were plans to partially open the 76-km stretch between Igatpuri and Amane in November-December 2024, but they were shelved due to delay in formation of the state government and distribution of portfolios. Instead, it was decided to complete all pending construction work and throw open the stretch in one go, said MSRDC sources.

On December 11, 2022, prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 520 km of the expressway, officially called Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, between Nagpur and Shirdi. On May 23, 2023, then chief minister Eknath Shinde inaugurated the 105-km stretch from Shirdi to Bharvir. Another 25 km between Bharvir and Igatpuri was thrown open to motorists on March 4, 2024 without any inaugural event.

At Amane, the terminal point of the expressway, it connects with the under-construction Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway, which connects with the Jawaharlal Nehru port at one end and Gujarat at the other.

“For now, a temporary provision has been made to let vehicles move between Mumbai-Nashik highway and Samruddhi expressway,” said the MSRDC official quoted earlier.

First announced in November 2015, work on the greenfield access-controlled highway commenced only in February 2019. Construction was split into 16 packages, and toll collection was authorised for 40 years.

Although the expressway is billed as a game-changer infrastructure project, motorists complain about lack of wayside amenities. Current establishments along the corridor are far and few, and it is difficult scouting for an eatery after exiting the expressway midway, they say. Having food courts at regular intervals would also help them take breaks and keep them alert, they say.