Between Shirdi and Bharvir in Nashik, an additional 80 kilometres of Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg will be ready for public use next month.
Drivers would be permitted to accelerate at 120 kilometres per hour because this section does not have hilly sections.
Since its opening on December 11, 2022, the 520-kilometre stretch between Shirdi and Nagpur has been in operation.
Only about 100 kilometres out of the 701 kilometres will be pending, with the most recent stretch currently in preparation and scheduled to open to the public in March or April.
According to plans, the road between Bharvir and Igatpuri is expected to be finished sometime in June. Only the section between Igatpuri and Thane will be pending.
Despite the lack of wayside passenger amenities, the stretch between Nagpur and Shirdi is gradually gaining popularity among motorists. Accidents caused by speeding are also increasing with the number of users.
Three wildlife sanctuaries will be traversed by the expressway, including the 29.6-kilometre Katepurna Wildlife Sanctuary in Akola, the 29.15-kilometre Karanja-Sohol Black Buck Sanctuary in Washim, and the 44.975-kilometre Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary in Thane.
There are ten districts in Maharashtra that the entire corridor passes through or connects: Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana, Aurangabad, Jalna, Ahmednagar, Nashik, and Thane.
The road link is said to be revolutionary, particularly for the state’s hinterland, as improved connectivity allows for increased investment and employment opportunities.
The cost of the project as a whole, including the cost of purchasing the land, is about 55,000 crore, or US$6.9 billion. The expressway, in the government’s opinion, will serve as a prosperity corridor for the state’s overall socioeconomic development.
The Samruddhi Corridor will be viewed as a significant growth driver that will directly benefit the state’s population by nearly 36%.
Along the route, the MSRDC has been permitted to act as a nodal agency under the New Town Development Authority (NTDA) to develop 19 new townships that will feature cutting-edge healthcare facilities, skill development centres, IT parks, and educational establishments.
Each township built under the Krushi Samruddhi Nagar initiative will have a land area of between 1000 and 1500 hectares.
In addition to education centres, institutes for skill development, healthcare facilities, commercial and residential housing, and integrated logistics, the new towns will serve as the utility economic nodes for the food processing industry, domestic food markets, and integrated logistics.
With a focus on dedicated export-oriented infrastructure and integrated logistics to simplify the supply chain and improve road connectivity for domestic markets, the new townships will provide enormous industrial landbanks.
The expressway will provide access to several economic and industrial corridors.
CCTVs and free telephone booths will be provided at intervals of 5 kilometres along the Mumbai–Nagpur Expressway in the event of an emergency to prevent fatalities.