Mumbai-Pune Travel Made Easy: Rs 4,500 Crore Expressway With Tunnels To Speed Up Freight Movement

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of a six-lane expressway to improve connectivity between the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and key transport routes, as per a Hindustan Times (HT) report. The new expressway will be 29 kilometres long and will connect Pagote in the JNPA area to Chouk, where the old Mumbai-Pune highway meets Karjat Road. It will also link the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Mumbai-Goa National Highway (NH-66).

The project, estimated to cost over Rs 4,500 crore, aims to enhance logistics efficiency in the region. The expressway will provide a direct route between JNPA and the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport, making the movement of goods faster and more convenient. To ensure smooth and safe travel, two tunnels will be built through the Sahyadri mountain range. These tunnels will allow heavy commercial vehicles, including large trucks, to move more efficiently compared with the existing ghat roads.

Photo Credit: PTI

The expressway is part of the PM GatiShakti national master plan, which focuses on improving infrastructure through integrated multimodal connectivity. It will be developed under the Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) model, meaning a private company will construct and manage the project for a set period before handing it over to the government.

According to a government release, there has been a growing need for better highway connectivity due to increasing container traffic at JNPA and the development of the Navi Mumbai International Airport. Currently, it takes two to three hours for vehicles to travel from JNPA to the Golden Quadrilateral section of NH-48 and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway due to congestion in urban areas such as Palaspe Phata, D-Point, Kalamboli Junction, and Panvel. Around 1.8 lakh vehicles use this route daily, leading to frequent traffic delays.

Once the Navi Mumbai airport begins operations later this year, the demand for direct connectivity is expected to rise further. The new expressway will not only improve port connectivity but also ensure safer and more efficient freight movement. The project is also expected to create new opportunities for economic growth in Mumbai, Pune, and surrounding areas.