Cabinet Approves Rs 3,320 Crore NH-160A Upgrade To Transform Nashik–Palghar Connectivity
154-km Ghoti–Trimbak–Jawhar–Manor–Palghar highway project to ease congestion, strengthen logistics, and improve access to tribal and industrial regions.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a major infrastructure project in Maharashtra with the rehabilitation and upgradation of the 154-km National Highway 160A corridor. The project, covering the Ghoti–Trimbak (Mokhada)–Jawhar–Manor–Palghar stretch, has been cleared at a total capital cost of ₹3,320.38 crore.
The 154.635-km corridor will be executed under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode. It will be upgraded into a mix of two-lane and four-lane highway sections with paved shoulders, designed to meet future traffic demand and improve regional mobility.
The region west of Nashik, including industrial clusters at Ambad and Satpur developed by MIDC, generates heavy freight movement. At present, much of this traffic passes through Nashik city using NH-848, putting additional pressure on already saturated urban routes.
Traffic volumes on key connecting highways remain high, with NH-848 from Mumbai carrying 50,000–60,000 Passenger Car Units (PCUs) per day and NH-60 from Pune handling 40,000–50,000 PCUs daily. Both corridors are operating near Level of Service (LOS)-C capacity.
The NH-160A upgradation is expected to provide an alternate route via Trimbak, helping bypass Nashik city and easing congestion. Traffic from Mumbai and southern Maharashtra is also projected to link through the Mumbai–Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg via the Igatpuri interchange, connecting further to NH-160A at Ghoti.
From 2028 onwards, traffic on the Ghoti–Trimbak stretch is expected to exceed 10,000 PCUs per day, making it eligible for four-laning. While the Trimbak–Manor section currently carries around 4,323 PCUs daily and will be upgraded to two lanes with paved shoulders, the Manor–Palghar urban stretch, with traffic of about 12,455 PCUs, will be expanded into four lanes for smoother flow.
The upgraded highway will strengthen links with major national infrastructure including the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway (NE-4), NH-48, NH-848, and key state highways. Planned under PM Gati Shakti principles, the corridor will connect six economic nodes, one tribal social node, and eight logistics nodes, including SEZs at Tarapur and Boisar, industrial parks at Palghar and Mokhada, and cooperative industrial estates at Wada and Tarapur.
Tourism and pilgrimage connectivity will also improve, with better access to destinations such as Trimbakeshwar, Jawhar Rajwada, Vaitarna River, Kevla Beach, Arnala Fort, and Tungeshwar Sanctuary.
Logistics integration will be enhanced through improved connectivity to railway stations at Palghar, Nashik and Shirdi, airports at Ozar, Shirdi and Mumbai, and ports including Vadhavan and JNPT.
Of the total project cost, ₹2,594.49 crore is earmarked for civil works, while land acquisition is estimated at ₹725.89 crore. The project is expected to generate nearly 19.98 lakh person-days of direct employment and 24.86 lakh person-days of indirect employment during construction, while creating long-term economic activity along the corridor.
