Major Milestone Achieved on Mumbai-Delhi Expressway: Morbe Tunnel Set for Final Stages
Major Milestone Achieved on Mumbai-Delhi Expressway: Morbe Tunnel Set for Final Stages.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) recently reached a significant milestone in the Mumbai-Delhi Expressway project by completing a 4.16-km breakthrough on the right side of the Morbe Tunnel on the Vadodara-Mumbai stretch in just 17 months. This achievement follows the earlier breakthrough of the left-side tunnel in August. The tunnel, which is an eight-lane, twin-tube structure, is located in the eco-sensitive Matheran zone in Maharashtra and is being constructed under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.
#NHAI today marked another milestone with the successful breakthrough of 4.16 km long Right-Hand Side of Morbe Tunnel on Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway, in presence of NHAI Chairman Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav, Shri V.K. Rajawat, Member (Projects) & senior officials from NHAI RO Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/R6owKHZMBp
— NHAI (@NHAI_Official) October 16, 2024
The section from Bhoj to Morbe is part of the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway and falls under the Delhi-Mumbai Greenfield alignment project. NHAI announced on social media that the tunnel is designed for high-speed travel and features advanced safety measures.
On August 28, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the completion of the left-hand side tunnel, highlighting that this engineering feat, which is built for high-speed travel and incorporates advanced safety features, is a significant accomplishment in infrastructure.
“Today is a remarkable day as we successfully completed the breakthrough of the 4.16 km Morbe Tunnel on the Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway in just 15 months… This will improve connectivity, bring prosperity to Maharashtra and Gujarat, and support the country’s economic development,” he stated.
Ircon International, the company responsible for constructing the tunnel, also reported another achievement on Wednesday, announcing the breakthrough of the 4.16-km Bhoj-Morbe Tunnel (RHS Tube) with a cross-sectional area of 205 square meters, completed within 18 months.
“IRCON’s technical skills played a crucial role in achieving precise horizontal and vertical alignments, ensuring zero accidents throughout the entire construction period,” stated the public sector organization.
In August, they announced a significant achievement with the breakthrough of the 4.16-km Morbe Tunnel, which has an impressive cross-sectional area of 205 square meters, on the Vadodara-Mumbai eight-lane expressway, completed in a record time of 15 months.
“IRCON’s expertise and precision in maintaining accurate alignments showcase their ability to handle large-scale tunnel projects even under challenging conditions. This tunnel will improve connectivity, drive economic growth, and contribute to the prosperity of both Maharashtra and Gujarat,” they emphasized in their August announcement.
The Mumbai-Delhi expressway, which connects Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, is being developed at an estimated cost of around Rs 1 lakh crore. This ambitious project is expected to significantly reduce the travel time between Delhi and Mumbai from nearly 24 hours to just 12 hours, while also shortening the distance by 130 km. Even before its full completion, the partially opened expressway is already the longest in India, surpassing all existing expressways in the country.
As of June 2024, work on nearly half of the packages for the expressway has been completed, with construction finished on 82% of the total stretch. Out of the total length of 1,386 km, a cumulative length of 1,136 km has been constructed. The revised scheduled completion date for the entire project is October 2025.
