A Milestone in Connectivity: New Pune-Bengaluru Expressway to Reduce Travel Time by Nearly Half
A Milestone in Connectivity: New Pune-Bengaluru Expressway to Reduce Travel Time by Nearly Half
The construction of the project is currently underway and is expected to be completed by 2028.
Under the flagship Bharat Mala Project, premium quality highways, infrastructure, and expressways are being developed. The main objective of the Bharat Mala programme is to enhance and expand existing roadways, improving their quality and connectivity.
As part of Phase 2 of the project, the Government of India plans to connect Pune, often referred to as the Oxford of the East, with Bengaluru, known as the Silicon Valley of India, through a 6-8 lane expressway. This expressway will run parallel to NH-48.
Currently, traveling by car from Mumbai to Bengaluru takes approximately 18–19 hours, and from Pune, it takes around 15–16 hours. However, once the new Mumbai-Pune-Bengaluru expressway is completed, the travel time between Pune and Bengaluru will be reduced to just 7-8 hours. This new route will connect to the Mumbai-Pune expressway, requiring an additional 2 hours to reach Mumbai.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari approved the Pune-Bengaluru expressway project in 2019. The expressway will span 700 km, with 6 lanes, expandable up to 8 lanes. It will be an access-controlled Greenfield expressway, and the National Highway Authority will oversee its construction.
The expressway is being designed to allow vehicles to travel at speeds of up to 120 km/h. Once completed, the distance between Pune and Bengaluru will be reduced by 140 km, cutting travel time to nearly 7 hours.
As both Pune and Bengaluru are major IT hubs, the expressway will significantly improve connectivity and facilitate smoother travel between the two cities.
The total construction cost is estimated to be between 40,000 and 50,000 crores.
The expressway will feature 2 emergency airstrips in Pune and Bengaluru and will connect with other road networks at 22 locations. Additionally, it will be built to be flood-resistant. The planned width of the expressway is 100 meters.
So far, 72 kilometers of the 699-kilometer project have been completed, with more work underway. The expressway is expected to be finished by 2028.
