Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, Nitin Gadkari on Sunday (September 15) announced that a proposed 14-lane road near the Atal Setu sea bridge, which will connect to Pune via a ring road, is expected to reduce traffic on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway by 50 percent.
Gadkari shared this plan while addressing an alumni event at COEP Technological University in celebration of Engineer’s Day.
Bridge to connect Sewri in Mumbai to Navi Mumbai
The 14-lane road is designed to alleviate congestion on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. It will be situated near the Atal Setu, the country’s longest sea bridge, which connects Sewri in Mumbai to Navi Mumbai.
This new road will extend to Pune and further connect to Bengaluru via a ring road.
“There is huge traffic on Mumbai-Pune Expressway. A 14-lane road will be built near Atal Setu, which will further connect to Pune via a ring road and then onwards to Bengaluru. This road will bring down traffic on Mumbai-Pune Expressway by 50 per cent,” he said.
All electric vehicles by 2049, says Gadkari
During his speech, Gadkari highlighted that India is currently ranked third globally in the automobile sector and predicted that within the next 25 years, all vehicles will operate on electricity rather than fossil fuels.
He emphasised the need for cost-effective technology, noting that around 80 lakh tonnes of garbage have already been used in road construction, presenting significant opportunities for research in this area.
“Our technology should be economical. We can use garbage to make roads. Around 80 lakh tonnes of garbage has been used to build new roads. There is huge scope for researchers in this sector,” Gadkari asserted.
Gadkari also reiterated the Centre’s Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) vision, advocating for the development of “smart villages” instead of focusing solely on smart cities. He stressed the importance of improving the standard of living for farmers to truly achieve self-reliance.
“The standard of living of farmers should improve. Only then we can call them atmanirbhar,” he pointed out.
(With PTI inputs)