Mumbai, Jun 5 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday inaugurated the final 76-km-long stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg, making the entire 701-km Mumbai-Nagpur corridor fully functional and bringing down the travel time between the two cities to 8 hours from around 18 hours.

Fadnavis described the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg as an “engineering marvel” and said this “economic corridor” would play a vital role in the state’s development.

Fadnavis said by connecting the expressway with the proposed Vadhvan port, they are planning to develop it as an “economic corridor” of the state.

A smart integrated traffic management system (ITMS) will be installed on the expressway soon, the CM said.

“We have given right of way to Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) to lay a pipeline alongside the road from Konkan to Nagpur to Gadchiroli so that all the industries, including the upcoming Gadchiroli Steel City, situated alongside the road will use gas as fuel for their operations,” he said.

Fadnavis said it is a moment of happiness and also an “accomplishment of the dream” for his Mahayuti government.

“The Samruddhi Mahamarg is an economic corridor of Maharashtra’s prosperity. It has connected 24 districts of the state with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) near Mumbai. Soon, the highway will be connected to the upcoming Vadhvan port,” Fadnavis said.

The expressway has a frequency of 10 lakh vehicles per month at present and this will grow further, Fadnavis said, adding he was happy the project was started and completed under the Mahayuti government, and that all three of its top leaders (CM and two deputy CMs) were present.

“The proposed Shaktipeeth Expressway will similarly bring about economic turnaround of Marathwada. Work on it will begin soon,” the CM added.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde termed it a “game changer” project for the state and urged people to use it by observing traffic rules and speed norms.

The expressway project witnessed a cost escalation to Rs 61,000 crore from Rs 55,000 crore, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said.

Pawar, at the start of his speech, referred to Shinde as CM before correcting his mistake, the faux pas bringing a smile on the faces of those assembled.

“This is the dream project of CM Fadnavis. It was started when he was CM and has been completed when he is CM again. It happens on rare occasions when those who start a project complete it. I remember those who opposed it at first later gave their land for the project and earned money (compensation),” Pawar added.

Besides Fadnavis and the deputy CMs, Maharashtra ministers Dada Bhuse, Shivendraraje Bhosale and Narhari Zirwal attended the inauguration ceremony at Igatpuri, located about 140 km from Mumbai, that was held around 1.45 pm.

After the inauguration, the chief minister also inspected the longest Igatpuri tunnel of the expressway and viaduct in the stretch.

To conduct an inspection of the expressway, Deputy CM Shinde drove a high-end car with Chief Minister Fadnavis sitting beside him on the front seat and Pawar occupying the back seat.

The inspection lasted around 45 minutes, including the time taken for the journey between Igatpuri and Amane.

On the way back, Fadnavis and Shinde swapped seats with the CM getting behind the wheel, while Pawar remained in the same seat.

Injecting humour into the proceedings, Pawar remarked that he was just observing if Shinde was driving well and was happy that everything went off smoothly.

“In the return leg, CM Fadnavis observed speed limits so we reached safely and I am now addressing this gathering. We could not use the insurance (cover) we had taken,” Pawar said as the gathering burst out laughing.

The newly-constructed third creek bridge near Vashi Sion-Panvel Highway was also inaugurated via video conferencing on the occasion.

With the inauguration of the final stretch between Igatpuri in Nashik district to Amane in Bhiwandi taluka of Thane district, this six-lane expressway, officially called ‘Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg’, has now been opened for traffic since Thursday evening, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRDC) said.

“Previously, the journey from Nagpur to Mumbai via the old route would take 17 to 18 hours. The same distance (between Nagpur and Amane in Thane district) can now be covered in eight hours,” the MSRDC said in a release.

After the opening of the final phase for traffic, pilgrims travelling from Thane-Mumbai region to Shirdi in Ahilyanagar district will benefit, while farmers from Shirdi, Ahilyanagar, Sinnar and Igatpuri (in Nashik district) can transport their agricultural produce to and from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region efficiently and in less time, it said.

Samruddhi Mahamarg links Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (Navi Mumbai) and major tourist destinations like Shirdi, Ajanta-Ellora Caves (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) and Lonar lake (Buldhana).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase covering 520 km between Nagpur and Shirdi on December 11, 2022.

The second 80-km phase from Shirdi (Kokamthan) to Bharvir Interchange (Nashik district) was inaugurated on May 26, 2023. The third 25-km corridor between Bharvir Interchange to Igatpuri was thrown open for traffic on March 4, 2024.

The expressway traverses through 392 villages in 26 talukas across 10 districts, namely Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana, Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ahilyanagar, Nashik and Thane. PTI KK COR NP GK BNM