After the commissioning of Phase 1 of the Nagpur Expressway, the Maharashtra government has turned its focus on the long-delayed Alibaug-Virar Multi-Modal Corridor project. It is 127 km long. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the implementing authority for the project, is in talks with lenders including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a corporation official said, reported the Indian Express.
Last month, the state Cabinet gave in-principle approval to seek loans from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) and other lenders. The work is likely to commence next year.
Connecting Alibaug (in Raigad district) to Virar (in Palghar district), the Multi-Modal corridor is a high-speed expressway. The 127 km long road will pass through three districts – Raigad, Thane, and Palghar.
With a view to diverting the heavy flow of cargo, the entire green field road project was planned. Presently, the cargo exits from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and gets stuck in the internal roads of cities like Thane and Navi Mumbai. The corridor will also be connected to major national highways. This will ensure better connectivity for the flow of goods to various parts of India.
The Multi-Modal Corridor from Alibaug to Virar will connect National Highway (NH)-8, NH-3, NH-4, Bhiwandi Bypass, NH-4B, Mumbai-Pune Expressway, and NH-17.
A decade ago, the Multi-Modal Corridor was conceptualised and approved in 2012. However, work never began on the ground and because of the delay, cost estimates increased four times over the 2012 estimates. Presently, the project cost is estimated at Rs 55,564 crores (12,554 crores estimated in 2012). Now the Multi-Modal Corridor is almost as expensive as the Samruddhi Mahamarg (Nagpur Expressway).
Reportedly, the rising cost of land in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region has pushed up the cost of the scheme. Nearly Rs 21,000 crore will be needed to acquire 1,347.22 hectares of land.