Fadnavis To Inaugurate Final Stretch Of Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway On 5 June

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will inaugurate the final stretch of the Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway, officially named the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, on 5 June, according to a Hindustan Times report.

The newly completed 76 km segment, spanning Igatpuri in Nashik to Amane in Thane, will also be opened to traffic the same day.

“All the work on this stretch has been completed and CM Fadnavis will inaugurate it on Thursday,” confirmed Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) managing director Anil Gaikwad to HT.

Constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,182 crore, jointly borne by MSRDC and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the final segment includes three interchanges at Igatpuri, Kutghar (Shahapur), and Amane.

Significantly, it features a 7.8 km tunnel, said to be the longest road tunnel in the country.

The new route is expected to substantially reduce travel time between Igatpuri and Amane from 90 minutes to 40 minutes by slashing the climb through the Western Ghats from 450 metres to 160 metres.

With this final section completed, the 701 km expressway becomes fully operational, cutting the travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai from 16 hours to just eight hours.

Built for a maximum speed of 150 kmph, the Rs 55,000-crore project traverses 10 districts and 390 villages, and includes 33 major bridges, 274 minor bridges, 65 flyovers, and six tunnels.

The expressway, conceptualised by Fadnavis, faced early resistance due to land acquisition concerns.

Its first three phases were inaugurated between December 2022 and March 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former CM Eknath Shinde, and ex-MSRDC Minister Dada Bhuse respectively.

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