Pune: The Rs16,000-crore proposal to widen the Pune-Mumbai expressway into a 10-lane superhighway is undergoing a third-party appraisal before it’s tabled before the state cabinet for final approval, senior officials of the MSRDC said.The officials said Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) was examining the proposal. Once it submitted the report, the project would be placed before the state cabinet’s infrastructure committee, headed by the chief minister, for discussion and clearance.“The third-party assessment will be the final technical and feasibility review before the cabinet consideration. Once the cabinet clears it, the work can begin. Its implementation will take about four years,” a senior official of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said.The MSRDC submitted the detailed project report (DPR) for the 10-lane expansion of the expressway earlier this month, marking a scale-up from the eight-lane upgrade plan. “This is an upgrade from our earlier eight-lane proposal. The 10-lane project will cost around Rs16,000 crore. The land acquisition cost pegged is at approximately Rs200 crore,” the official said. If the proposal is approved, it will be among the largest expressway expansion projects in the country. The 94.6-km access-controlled corridor, built in 2002, currently handles close to one lakh vehicles daily. The traffic surpasses the one-lakh-mark on weekends and during festivals. The expressway’s traffic is growing at an annual rate of 5–6%, putting sustained pressure on it.The MSRDC expects the expressway’s widening to take about three to four years. “If work begins by 2026, the completion is expected around 2029–30. With minimal land acquisition hurdles, we are confident the timeline is achievable,” another MSRDC official said.The project is proposed to be funded through financial institutions rather than direct state government funding. Officials indicated it might be implemented on an annuity model involving deferred payments. The MSRDC may seek an extension of the current toll contract, valid till 2045, to ensure financial viability. “The executing agency is likely to be appointed by the end of this financial year or early next fiscal,” the official said.Land acquisition is expected to be limited to small pockets of six tunnel zones — Kamshet, Khandala, Adoshi, Madap and Bhatan — covering about 85 hectares at an estimated cost of Rs200 crore. “Most of the land along the expressway is already with the MSRDC. Only limited acquisition near the tunnels is required,” another official said.Frequent commuters welcomed the move, seeking its phased execution. “The congestion is frustrating. The state must expedite the widening of the expressway and ensure the work is carried out in phases to minimise disruption,” said Siddharth Mohite, a regular user of the corridor. Another commuter said the expansion work should be taken up on priority. “While the state is adding new roads, there is an urgent need to widen the existing roads. Eway needs urgent widening and it should be carried out soon,” said Manisha Khade, another regular commuter.
