The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has announced that the final section of the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg (HBTMSM) is set to open by November this year. This under-construction section is a 78-kilometre stretch between Igatpuri and Thane's Amne village. Currently, the expressway is functional from Nagpur to Igatpuri.
The work on the expressway is almost complete. An 8-kilometre-long tunnel has also been completed. Only the construction of the 1.8-kilometre Khardi bridge on the Kasara Ghat portion is remaining. This bridge is being built at a significant height. This has made the construction work challenging due to the high winds.
Additionally, wildlife also passes through the area. This has added to the complexity of the project. By August, traffic is expected to flow until Mumbai, with only the Khardi Bridge section having four lanes.
The MSRDC plans to make the entire expressway a six-lane project by opening the remaining lanes of the bridge to traffic by November. On completion, it will be a 701-kilometre expressway with a Greenfield alignment designed for speeds up to 150 kmph.
The expressway has been designed with a 15-metre centre median and a 2-metre-distance paved shoulder from the earthen shoulder. It also features underpasses for cattle and wildlife crossings, flyovers, and interchanges at significant road crossings. Pedestrian and vehicular underpasses have been constructed in every village and town along the expressway.
On November 30, 2015, the Maharashtra government unveiled their grand plan to build this super communication expressway. The work was completed concurrently within the 16 packages that were announced.
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