Mumbai–Pune Expressway

The government of Maharashtra appointed RITES and Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick in 1990 to carry out feasibility studies for the new expressway to be operated on toll basis. RITES submitted its report in 1994 with the estimated cost of project at ₹11.46 billion (US$160 million).

The government of Maharashtra entrusted the work of the construction of the expressway to MSRDC in March 1997 on Build-Operate-Transfer basis with permission to collect toll for 30 years. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India gave environmental clearance on 13 October 1997 and forest clearance on 11 November 1997.

The tender notice was published in leading newspapers all over India and also on the Internet. Due to the wide publicity, 133 tenders were sold and 55 tenders were received on 18 December 1997. After technical and financial evaluation, work orders were given on 1 January 1998 to four contractors. Thereafter tenders for widening of Khandala and Lonavala-Khandala bypass works were invited. The tenders were received on 24 August 1998 and orders were issued on 4 September 1998.[7]

This six-lane project was completed under the stewardship of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). The expressway cost ₹16.3 billion (US$230 million) to construct.[7] The first sections opened in 2000, and the entire route was completed, opened to traffic and made fully operational from April 2002.[5][6] The entire length of expressway has a single layer of barbed wire fencing to keep out stray animals.

The expressway was conceived and the work started when a coalition of BJP and SS governed Maharashtra.[8] Eventually, in 2009, the then ruling coalition (INC, NCP) named the expressway after the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Yashavantrao Chavan, who was a member of the Congress.[9]

Prior to the opening of the expressway in 2002, the fastest way to travel from Mumbai to Pune was the Deccan Queen train, which completed the journey in just under 3 hours. When the expressway opened, travel time between the cities reduced to 2 hours. The expressway initially opened without a posted speed limit. However, in 2009, a speed limit of 80 km/h (50 mph) was enacted as private vehicles got more powerful and could hit higher speeds more easily. In 2019, a panel of experts agreed to further increase the speed limit to 120 km/h (75 mph).[10]

It has six illuminated, ventilated tunnels totaling 5,724 metres. These tunnels were built by the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd.

Entrance of the Madap tunnel, in the Pune-Mumbai direction

distance

Talegaon Toll Plaza

Toll is collected at Khalapur (Pali Phata) (for the Mumbai-Pune direction) and at Talegaon (for the Pune-Mumbai direction). The toll ranges from ₹270 (US$3.80) for private cars, to ₹1,750 (US$25) for multi-axle trailer trucks.[11] The toll collection data is kept as secret as per the RTI inquiry raised by activist Vivek Velankar. The expressway contract with the Ideal Road Builders (IRB) has been uploaded but the toll collection details are not there.[12][13] There is no plan to give toll waiver for this expressway.[14]

The expressway has witnessed a large number of road accidents, attributed to human errors and the large volume of traffic. In the first 10 years since its opening, there were 1,758 accidents with more than 400 fatalities.[15][16]

• On 28 May 2012, 27 people were reported to have died and another 26 injured in a road accident when a speeding tempo hit a stationary bus carrying passengers near Khalapur.[17][18]
• On 10 June 2010, at least 10 people were injured and 30 vehicles were damaged in a pileup near Kamshet which occurred when a MSRTC bus skidded inside a tunnel.[19]

The heavy rains in June and July 2015 caused heavy landslides at Khandala and Adoshi tunnels, which prompted the PWD to remove loose rocks to prevent further landslides.[20] To carry out such works, the expressway near to the Lonavala exit till Khopoli exit was closed from 10 am to 5 pm for 10 days after the landslide near Adoshi tunnel on 18 July 2015 which took three lives and halted the traffic for two months. The boulders fell on both carriageways which caused huge diversion of traffic towards the old highway.[21]

Sporadic instances of robbery have been reported on the highway.[22]

MSRDC has decided to extend the expressway from Kalamboli near Panvel till Sion in Mumbai. The extended stretch will reduce commuting time between Mumbai and Pune by 30 minutes. Under the plan, the Sion Panvel Expressway corridor will be widened, with dedicated lanes for heavy and light vehicles. Service roads will be built for entry and exit at various points. It will also involve constructing a brand new bridge over the Thane creek parallel to the current Vashi Mankhurd Bridge. MSRDC will undertake the expansion project. Work was expected to commence in March 2009 and complete by September 2011. The new 22-km link is expected to cost ₹8 billion (US$110 million). As of July 2016 no work on this extension has been started.

MSRDC is planning to widen the expressway from current 6 lane to 8 lane.[4] The proposal has been presented in Maharashtra Cabinet for approval.

• Expressways in India
• Amritsar Jamnagar Expressway
• Delhi Mumbai Expressway

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mumbai Pune expressway.

• MSRDC – Mumbai Pune Expressway Project