MSRDC Plans To Expand Mumbai-Pune Expressway Into 10-Lane Superhighway By 2030
To ease congestion and be prepared for the future traffic demands, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is planning to expand the Mumbai-Pune Expressway into a 10-lane superhighway by 2030.
An MSRDC official, “The upcoming project is an upgrade from the current eight-lane expressway. The 10-lane proposal will incur an additional cost of Rs 1,420 crore, bringing the total construction cost to Rs 8,440 crore. Now the overall project cost is estimated at Rs 14,260 crore.”
If approved, the planned 10-lane Mumbai-Pune Expressway would be one of the country’s largest expressway upgrades, efficiently handling the growing number of vehicles with a future-ready corridor.
MSRDC is set to submit a proposal post-Diwali to fund and execute the project under the Hybrid Annuity Model. “If the work starts by 2026, the expansion project may be completed by 2029-30. The agency is likely to be appointed by March 2026 or may start in the next fiscal,” said the official.
Under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), a public-private partnership (PPP) framework allows the government to fund 40 per cent of the project cost, while the private agency invests the remaining 60 per cent.
“PPP model balances public sector expertise with private sector efficiency. And is used mostly for large-scale infrastructure projects,” he added.
The Mumbai- Pune expressway was inaugurated in 2002 and is a 94.6-km access-controlled highway connecting Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai to Kiwale. On average, 65,000 vehicles use the expressway on weekdays and over a lakh on weekends, with around 5-6 per cent of traffic increasing annually.
The 13km missing link project on the Mumbai-Pune expressway, including a 10-lane section in the Khandala Ghat, is being worked upon. And this proposed project will focus on the rest of E-way’s expansion.
As per MSRDC, the lane expansion will help in managing traffic congestion, growing vehicles and ease roadblocks during festive seasons or weekends. Even political leaders such as MLA Mahesh Landge have supported the project.
The toll collection on the existing e-way is valid till 2045, and MSRDC may extend this if the expansion project gets the nod to make it financially feasible. “As the adjacent area along the e-way is owned by MSRDC so the land acquisition will be minimal. Only small pockets near tunnel zones may need to be acquired,” an official said.
news