Second Pune-Mumbai Expressway Proposed; Travel Time Likely to Drop to 90 Minutes
Second Pune-Mumbai Expressway Proposed; Travel Time Likely to Drop to 90 Minutes
Pune, May 25: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has begun the process for a second Pune-Mumbai Expressway, a major infrastructure project expected to reduce travel time between the two cities to nearly 90 minutes.
NHAI has invited bids to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and conduct a feasibility study for the proposed ₹15,000-crore greenfield expressway. The new access-controlled corridor will run parallel to the existing Mumbai-Pune Expressway and is aimed at easing rising traffic congestion on the busy route.
According to initial plans, the proposed expressway will be around 130 kilometres long. It is expected to start from Chowk in Raigad district, connect with the JNPT (Pagote)-Chowk highway and further extend towards Shivare village near Bhor, where it will link with the Pune Ring Road.
The project is expected to improve connectivity between Pune, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Atal Setu and Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), while also strengthening transport access to industrial and logistics hubs across western Maharashtra.
Officials said the new expressway is being planned due to increasing vehicular traffic, frequent accidents and mounting pressure on the existing Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The proposed eight-lane corridor is expected to handle nearly three lakh vehicles daily and significantly boost freight movement between key industrial regions.
The development follows earlier announcements by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari regarding a parallel Pune-Mumbai expressway under Maharashtra’s larger infrastructure expansion plans.
Gadkari had earlier stated that the expressway would connect the Atal Setu-JNPA region to Shivare Junction near Pune and reduce travel time between Pune and Mumbai to around one-and-a-half hours. He had also confirmed that the first phase from Pagote near JNPA to Chowk has already received approval.
Once completed, the new corridor is expected to improve not only Pune-Mumbai travel but also long-distance connectivity towards Bengaluru through the proposed Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway network.
Apart from the second Pune-Mumbai Expressway, the Centre has also proposed the Pune-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar greenfield expressway project worth ₹16,318 crore, which aims to cut travel time between the two cities to nearly two hours.
Meanwhile, Pune is also set to witness other major transport infrastructure projects, including the ₹4,207-crore Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur elevated corridor featuring a multi-level transport system with flyovers, surface roads and a Metro line.
