Samruddhi Mahamarg: MSRDC Initiates Third Phase Expansion With Plans For Three New Expressway Connectors

As the Samruddhi Mahamarg nears its final stages of construction, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has commenced the third phase expansion of the expressway.

In this phase, the agency will construct three access-controlled super communication expressways, facilitating connectivity to the districts of Bhandara, Gondia and Chandrapur.

All the three expressways will provide connection to the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg, thereby, making road travel connectivity smoother between Mumbai and remote parts of the state.

The Nagpur-Gondia expressway, covering a distance of 127 km and including a bypass to Gondia, is estimated to cost Rs 7,436 crore. Another 25 km stretch connecting Bhandara to Gondia will be built at Rs 1,587 crore. Similarly, the Nagpur to Chandrapur Expressway, with a length of 194 km will be built with an investment of Rs 9,543 crore.

The agency has invited request for proposal (RFP) from pre-qualified bidders for construction of these expressways.

Connectors To Samruddhi Mahamarg

Officially named as ‘Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg,’ the 701-km expressway links the winter capital Nagpur to the financial hub Mumbai.

Currently, the longest expressway in the country, it traverses 10 key districts of the state and indirectly connects 14 others, establishing a seamless connection between Maharashtra's eastern region and the economic mainstream western region.

Styled as ‘Samruddhi Mahamarg’ (Prosperity Corridor), the expressway connects economic hubs, including the country’s largest container port Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai and the upcoming international airport in Navi Mumbai.

It's worth noting that the Maharashtra government has proposed developing additional connectors or access-controlled expressways to connect major districts in the state to the Samruddhi Mahamarg.

In pursuit of this, the MSRDC had started work on the second phase of the corridor’s expansion through a 179.85-km Jalna-Nanded expressway.

MSRDC has already initiated the bidding process for six packages for the construction of the Jalna expressway to be built at a cost of Rs 19,000 crore.