MSRDC Delays Opening of 76-Km Stretch on Samruddhi Mahamarg to December 2024
MSRDC Delays Opening of 76-Km Stretch on Samruddhi Mahamarg to December 2024
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has announced that the remaining 76-kilometer stretch of the Hinduhrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg (HBTMSM) will not be open to the public before December 2024. Initially, the MSRDC had targeted completing this section by September 2024.
The project, which began in January 2019, has seen partial completion. The first 625-kilometer stretch between Nagpur and Shirdi was inaugurated in December 2022, followed by the second 105-kilometer stretch between Shirdi and Bharvir (Igatpuri) in May 2023. The remaining stretch between Bharvir and Amane village near Bhiwandi was expected to be completed by September, but delays have pushed the completion to December 2024 or even January 2025.
According to MSRDC sources, most of the work has been completed, with only a few spans of two challenging viaducts and finishing work remaining. The sources stated, “These works are progressing rapidly, and we expect to complete them within two months.”
When questioned about missing the September deadline, the MSRDC did not provide a specific reason but emphasized that the work is ongoing. An official previously noted that construction on the road connecting Amane to the Shangri La Resort on the old Mumbai-Nashik Highway, crucial for improved connectivity, is still in progress. This 4.5-kilometer road is part of the Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway project and is expected to be completed by November.
Of the 4.5 kilometers, 3.5 kilometers are finished, but a 1-kilometer stretch, occupied by warehouses and godowns currently being demolished, is causing delays. Once this road is complete, it will connect the HBTMSM’s endpoint at Amane to the old Mumbai-Nashik Highway.
The MSRDC also plans to establish around 10 public utility services, including petrol pumps and eateries, along the expressway. Designed for speeds of up to 150 km/h, the Greenfield expressway has a 120-meter right of way (ROW) in non-forest areas and 90 meters in forest areas. The expressway includes a 15-meter central median, 2-meter paved shoulders, underpasses for wildlife and cattle, and flyovers at major road crossings.
The Maharashtra government first announced the ambitious 701-kilometer HBTMSM project on November 30, 2015. The construction has been carried out simultaneously across 16 designated packages along the stretch.
