Flyovers on old Mumbai-Pune highway awaiting Centre's approvals: Shinde
He was replying to MLA Satyajeet Tambe's query about a 7-year-old pending proposal for easing vehicular movement on the highway.
"The Mumbai-Pune National Highway (48) falls under Centre's jurisdiction, with Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation acting as a concessionaire. A proposal for constructing nine flyovers has been submitted to the Union ministry of road transport and highways," Shinde said, in a written reply.
He said temporary safety measures, including rumble strips, blinkers and traffic signboards, had been installed at proposed flyover locations to ensure smooth traffic flow, and prevent accidents.
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State govt had planned to build 16 flyovers, each 200-500 metres long, on the highway at Rs 208 crore to ease traffic congestion. In 2018, MSRDC identified nine critical locations on the highway that required immediate attention owing to safety concerns.
The areas, including Somatane and Limb phatas, were prone to accidents because of sharp curves and hilly terrain.
A particular stretch of 16km between Khopoli and Lonavla was highlighted as a major safety hazard. To address this, flyovers were proposed under a public-private partnership model, which could reduce travel time between Mumbai and Pune by 45 minutes. The project, however, remained stalled, awaiting Centre's approval, leaving commuters to deal with worsening congestion.
An expert said, "The estimated cost of the project was Rs 208 crore (based on the 2021-22 rate schedule). Further delays may lead to cost escalation and technical implementation issues for the project."
Integration with railway project delays Pune-Nashik highway works
Pune: Cabinet minister Dada Bhuse on Thursday said the likely changes in the road alignment were leading to the delay in completing the Pune-Nashik highway.
"The state was considering whether the Pune-Nashik high-speed railway project alignment and highway direction could be integrated. The objective behind this was to minimise farmers' losses," he said, while replying to a question raised by MLA Satyajeet Tambe at the state assembly.
He said these changes were becoming necessary, considering certain sensitive matters at the national level.
The industrial highway project linking Pune and Nashik, slated to connect with the Surat-Chennai highway, has been stalled since 2015 due to various issues.
These include implementation delays, farmer protests, alignment disputes, and demands for interchanges to support local development. The proposed highway will pass through Rajgurunagar, Chakan, Narayangaon, Aalephata, Sangamner, Sinner, Shirdi and Niphad.
Bhuse said land acquisition would be done only after taking farmers into confidence. "The proposal for an interchange to connect Sangamner city is under consideration. he said.
Once the highway is completed, the current five-hour distance between Pune and Nashik can be covered in just three hours.
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