PUNE, 7 NOV. The Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSIDC) has accelerated the work on the ambitious Pune-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Expressway, a project designed to significantly enhance connectivity between Western and Central Maharashtra. The expressway, with an estimated cost of approximately ₹22,000 crore, is projected to reduce the current travel time of 8 to 10 hours between the two cities to just about 3 hours.

The project is structured to be developed in three main phases:

Phase 1: Pune to Shirur Elevated Corridor

• The work on this phase is already in progress.

• It involves the construction of a 53.4 km, six-lane elevated highway along the existing Pune-Ahmednagar corridor, with a four-lane at-grade road and a provision for a metro line.

• This section aims to reduce heavy traffic congestion on the existing national highway.

Phase 2 & 3: Shirur to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Greenfield Link and Regional Bypass Alignments

• These phases will cover the new, six-lane Greenfield expressway extending from Shirur Bypass to the Samruddhi Mahamarg at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, spanning a total length of 192.5 km.

• The work will include bypasses around various towns and links to essential industrial and logistics hubs.

• The tendering process for the Greenfield section is currently underway, with bids anticipated to be opened early next year after the final Detailed Project Report (DPR) is approved.

In parallel with the expressway construction, the government has also transferred the existing Pune-Ahmednagar-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar route to the MSIDC for simultaneous renovation and upgrade.

Once operational, the expressway is expected to unlock new economic opportunities, lower logistics costs, and significantly boost industrial and real estate development across Marathwada and the wider growth corridor of Maharashtra.

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