Good News for Pune: 53 km, 6 Lane Pune to Shirur Road to Connect to Samruddhi Expressway

Pune: In the latest development to enhance road travel in Maharashtra , the state government has decided to connect a 53-km six-lane Pune to Shirur Road to the Balasaheb Thackeray Samruddhi Expressway via Chhatrapati Sambhajinagari. The total cost of the highway is estimated at Rs 9,565 crore.

In a cabinet meeting last week it was decided to upgrade the national highway through Ahmednagar to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

The project is said to be executed by the MSIDC and is expected to cost Rs 7,515 crore for the Pune-Shirur Road. However, an additional Rs 2,050 crore is allocated for improving the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Road via the Ahmednagar Bypass.

The project will be executed by the Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSIDC), under the Maharashtra government established with the support of the state Public Works Department (PWD) for the physical infrastructure.

"As per the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in March 2024, the PWD and Maharashtra government will initiate all necessary measures to ensure the commencement of the project within two years, failing which the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) may consider taking over the entire project in the public interest," an official said.

The proposed expressway will begin from the Pune Bypass at Kesnand and Lonikand, cross Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and will connect it to Samruddhi Expressway. After being built, the elevated road is expected to reduce traffic congestion in Yerawada, Kharadi, Wagholi, Lonikand, Shikrapur and Shirur, by cutting down travel time between Wagholi and Pune.

This new Pune-Shirur-Ahmednagar-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar greenfield expressway will run parallel to the existing Pune-Nagar-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Road.

It will have six levels and will provide official entry and exit points to the cities of Shirur, Ahmednagar, Nevasa, Devgad, Paithan and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

The total length of the expressway is said to be approximately 250 km.