Nashik‑Akkalkot Highway Project Under Chennai-Surat Expressway Revived Under BOT Model: Report

The long‑delayed Nashik‑Akkalkot highway, a vital segment of the Chennai‑Surat Expressway, is finally set to move forward as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has opted to develop the project on a build‑operate‑transfer (BOT) basis, according to a DeshGujarat report.

The proposal has already been submitted to the Centre for final approval. Once cleared, tenders for construction will be floated.

The 1,271 km Chennai‑Surat Expressway, overseen by NHAI, is designed to link major cities across six states—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Key urban centres along the route include Surat, Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Solapur, Kalaburagi, Kurnool, Kadapa and Tirupati.

Planned in two principal phases—Surat to Solapur and Solapur to Chennai, the expressway features multiple sub‑sections.

The Nashik‑Akkalkot stretch, spanning 374 km with six lanes, has been identified as one of the project’s most crucial corridors.

An earlier tender floated under the hybrid annuity model had collapsed due to technical and financial hurdles, prompting the shift to the BOT approach.

According to senior NHAI officials, the Public‑Private Partnership Appraisal Committee has now granted approval for the Nashik‑Akkalkot plan.

The highway will be built in two phases: Nashik to Ahilyanagar (152 km) and Ahilyanagar to Akkalkot (222 km).

Once completed, the highway will drastically reduce travel time between Nashik and Akkalkot from the current nine hours to just four.

Furthermore, when the entire Chennai‑Surat Expressway is operational, the Nashik‑Surat journey is expected to shrink to around two hours.

The corridor will also connect with the Delhi‑Mumbai Expressway at Navsari, offering enhanced access to the national capital and creating a seamless transport link between western and southern India.

Also Read: Japanese Entrepreneurs To Set Up Green Hydrogen Centre Of Excellence In Uttar Pradesh