In a first, CM Shinde & Dy CM Fadnavis cruise through Mumbai-Nagpur expressway; WATCH

Cruising in the car through the soon-to-be-inaugurated Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis took a test drive on the expressway before Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicates it to the nation on December 11. It was a unique initiative by both the leaders who took the test drive on the expressway with Dy CM Fadnavis driving the car and CM Shinde sitting on the side.

Notably, the Samruddhi Mahamarg is aimed at enhancing connectivity in the state and will cut the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur by about 11 hours. It earlier took about 18 hours to travel the distance between both cities, which will now take only 6-7 hours.

All about the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg

PM Modi will inaugurate the 500-km stretch between Shirdi and Nagpur, which is ready for traffic movement. ‘Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg’, the full name of the expressway, will be the first highway in India with nine green overpasses and 17 underpasses for the movement of wild animals. 

Build with an intention to enhance connectivity within places in Maharashtra, the expressway will pass through ten districts namely Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Ahmednagar, Nashik, Buldhana, Aurangabad, Jalna, and Thane, and will have direct connectivity between Nagpur and Mumbai in order to enhance import-export of the state. 

Moreover feeder roads, connecting highways will also be built as a part of the Mahamarg, which will further connect 14 districts namely Chandrapur, Bhandara, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Yavatmal, Akola, Hingoli, Parbhani, Nanded, Beed, Dhule, Jalgaon, Palghar and Raigad.

‘Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg’
(In numbers)

Districts connected - 10
Talukas - 26
Villages - 392
Lanes - 8
Speed limit - 150 Km
Flyovers - 50+
Interchanges - 24+
Tunnels - 5
Underpasses - Vehicular - 400+                        
Pedestrian - 300+

(IMAGE: @Dev_Fadnavis - Twitter)