MSRDC plans project to cut Expressway travel time

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The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has decided to appoint a technical advisory committee for separating the Mumbai-Pune Expressway from the National Highway 4 (Old Pune Highway) completely.

The MSRDC’s project will save 30 to 45 minutes of travel time.
The proposed eight kilometre-long tunnel in the project will bypass the existing ghat section that has dangerous turns and accident prone areas.
“We have a proposal to increase the capacity of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, for which at this juncture, we need to appoint a technical advisory committee to study the project,” said Bipin Shrimali, managing director and vice chairman of the MSRDC.
According to the proposal, two sets of parallel bridges of 865 and 810 metres (either way) would be constructed, apart from two sets of tunnels of 1,620 and 7,755 metres long between Khalapur, Khopoli and Sinhagad Technical Education Society.
“The current estimated cost of the project is `2,600 crore, and it will be undertaken on the public-private partnership (PPP) financial model. We intend to complete the project by 2017, and the motorists will benefit from this, as it will save 30 to 45 minutes of their travelling time,” said A.V. Deodhar, superintending engineer, MSRDC.
Furthermore, the stretch between Khopoli and Lonavala is prone to breakdowns and accidents, because of ascend and sharp turns. It is between this 16 km section that the Expressway and Old Pune Highway merge; the MSRDC wants to segregate both the highways.
“We need to start this project as soon as possible. Once the report of the committee is ready, it will be tabled in the MSRDC board and further measures
will be taken to initiate the project,” Mr Shrimali added.
The committee is yet to be appointed, but it is likely to have experts from leading technical educational institutes, independent experts, state officials, etc.