Phase of Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway Likely To Be Inaugurated During Diwali

In a significant development, the first phase of the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway is all set to be inaugurated during Diwali this year.

The first phase of the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg includes a 510 km Nagpur-Shirdi stretch.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to dedicate phase 1 of the state-of-the-art expressway during Diwali. If reports are to be believed, the expressway will provide a massive connectivity boost to the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of the state.

The remaining stretch of the expressway between Shirdi-Mumbai is likely to be completed by early 2023.

The 701-km long Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway will connect 10 districts (Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana, Jalna, Aurangabad, Nashik, Ahmednagar and Thane), 26 talukas, and 392 villages of the state. When fully operational, the expressway will reduce the travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai by half, from 16 to 8 hours.

However, in order to control the speed of vehicles plying on the Highway, the speed limit has been fixed at 100-120 kmph in the notification. The notification added that the 701-km long expressway between Mumbai and Nagpur is designed for a top speed of 150 kmph.

They have also listed speed limitations according to the type of vehicle. Two-wheelers, auto rickshaws and quadricycles would not be allowed on the highway.

Passenger vehicles in the `M1' category with a carrying capacity of eight persons, including driver, can travel at a maximum speed of 120 kmph on plain sections and 100 kmph in Ghat sections and tunnels.

Passenger vehicles with more than nine carrying capacity will have a maximum speed limit of 100 kmph on plain sections and 80 kmph in Ghat sections and tunnels. For all types of goods vehicles falling under the N-category, the speed limit will be 80 kmph.

For those unversed, the greenfield project was first announced in 2015 by the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition government. The land acquisition began in July 2017, PM Modi laid the foundation stone in December 2018, and construction work started in January 2019.

The total cost of the expressway project, including land acquisition and engineering, is estimated to be INR 55,332 crore. For the project, the MSRDC has raised debt worth INR 28,000 crore.