The opening of the final 76-km stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg has been postponed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). This stretch runs from Igatpuri to Amane in Thane, The Indian Express reported.
The stretch was anticipated to open to the public around September-October, following the completion of the 84-meter-high one-arm bridge at Shahpur, equivalent to the height of a 28-story building.
The opening has been delayed until all related roadworks are completed, according to Anil Kumar Gaikwad, vice-chairman and managing director of MSRDC.
The decision regarding the delay has been taken primarily due to the ongoing work on a crucial 1-kilometre segment linking Amane to the Sangrilla Resort on the old Mumbai-Nashik Highway. The 4.5-km stretch is part of the ongoing construction of the Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway, leading towards JNPT Road.
A project by the NHAI, currently being executed by MSRDC, is expected to be completed by November. This 4.5-km road will link the endpoint of the Samruddhi Mahamarg at Amane to the old Mumbai-Nashik Highway.
According to Gaikwad, while 3.5 km of the road is already completed, the remaining 1 km consists of several warehouses and godowns that are being demolished and relocated, which will take additional time. He further said that opening the Samruddhi Mahamarg without completing the Vadodara-Mumbai JNPT road would cause significant traffic issues.
Once operational, the 76-km stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg will reduce travel time between Amane and Igatpuri to just 40 minutes, compared to over 90 minutes on the old route.
Currently, 625 km of the 701-km Samruddhi Mahamarg is open to traffic. The fully completed corridor will allow travel from Nagpur to Amane in Thane in around eight hours, a journey that previously took approximately 16 hours.