The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has initiated the process for a third Mumbai-Pune express, parallel to the existing corridor, that is expected to reduce travel time between the two cities to nearly 90 minutes.
NHAI has invited bids for preparing the detailed project report (DPR) and conducting a feasibility study.
A 130-km greenfield expressway is expected to cost around INR 15,000 crore. The new expressway will be an 8-lane high-speed road built with modern safety features. It will start from Chowk in Raigad district and connect to the JNPT corridor. From there, it will move towards Pune and end at Shivare village in Bhor taluka, linking with the Pune ring road.
The corridor will also provide direct connectivity between Pune and the Atal Setu, improving access to Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
Sources said NHAI has set June 24 as the deadline for the tender process, after which contractor appointments and technical clearances are expected to be fast-tracked. Preliminary surveys and route inspection work are likely to begin later this year.
The new route is expected to ease pressure on the current corridor while strengthening connectivity between key industrial and logistics hubs in western Maharashtra.
It will be capable of handling nearly three lakh vehicles daily and significantly improve freight movement between Pune, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, JNPT Port and major industrial corridors.
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