News Brief
Mumbai-Agra Highway Expansion Fast-Tracked Ahead Of 2027 Nashik Kumbh Mela
Mumbai -Agra National Highway near Kasara Ghat in Maharashtra (Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint via Getty Images)
The six-laning of a key 20 km stretch on the Mumbai-Agra highway, between Gonde and Pimpri Sado, is now slated for completion by December 2026, three months before its original March 2027 deadline, Times of India reported.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has accelerated the project to ensure Nashik is ready for the massive inflow of pilgrims expected during the Simhastha Kumbh Mela.
The festival, scheduled from October 2026 to July 2028, will see its peak during the Amrit Snan rituals in August and September 2027.
These ceremonial baths, held three times each at Ramkund in Nashik city and Trimbakeshwar, are expected to attract record crowds.
“The district administration is implementing several infrastructure upgrades to manage the anticipated surge in visitors,” an official was quoted as saying by ToI.
“The Pimpri Sado-end of the stretch connects to the Samruddhi Expressway near Igatpuri, which is expected to be a major route for pilgrims visiting Nashik and Trimbakeshwar during the Kumbh Mela. With a significant rise in vehicular movement projected, two additional lanes are being added between Gonde and Pimpri Sado,” an NHAI official was quoted as saying by ToI.
The upgraded highway is expected to ease congestion and provide faster connectivity from Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra during the festival.
Once the Kumbh concludes, authorities have lined up further plans to expand the highway up to Vadpe, extending the benefits of improved road capacity beyond the event.
