Good News for Mumbai and Thane Residents: Samruddhi Highway to Get a Direct Link to Thane
Good News for Mumbai and Thane Residents: Samruddhi Highway to Get a Direct Link to Thane
MMRDA plans Saket–Aamne road at ₹6,000 crore, but faces major funding hurdles
Mumbai and Thane residents may soon get a direct connection to the Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Mumbai–Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway, as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has announced plans for a special 29.10 km road linking Saket in Thane to Aamne near Bhiwandi.
The Samruddhi Highway, stretching 701 km from Nagpur to Aamne, is now fully operational. Currently, vehicles heading from Aamne towards Mumbai rely on the Mumbai–Nashik Highway, which is already congested due to slow expansion works. With traffic from Samruddhi now merging on this route, the risk of bottlenecks has increased. The new Saket–Aamne link road aims to ease this burden.
The project cost is estimated at ₹6,000 crore. However, MMRDA expects a financial deficit of ₹3,248 crore in FY 2025–26, making fund-raising a significant challenge. The authority is simultaneously handling large infrastructure works worth over ₹1.18 lakh crore in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, adding to financial stress.
Major upcoming projects include the ₹2,100 crore Kalyan–Taloja elevated road and the ₹4,500 crore Shilphata–Kalyan–Rajanoli (Bhiwandi) flyover. Together with the Thane link road, these projects will require ₹10,500 crore. MMRDA has announced that it will not rely solely on internal funds but will instead seek bank loans and raise money through bonds. For this, tenders have been floated to appoint a financial advisor.
Of the ₹10,500 crore required, MMRDA will contribute ₹500 crore from its own resources, while the rest will be mobilised by 2028–29. This strategy is expected to support key infrastructure development while addressing the immediate funding shortfall.
