Mumbai-Pune Expressway Expansion to Cut Travel Time, Ease Congestion for Over 1 Lakh Weekend Commuters

Mumbai-Pune Expressway: In a bold move to tackle traffic snarls and future-proof one of India’s busiest highways, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has unveiled plans to widen the Mumbai-Pune Expressway into a 10-lane superhighway. The expressway, which connects two of Maharashtra’s most significant urban hubs, currently sees over one lakh vehicles on weekends, often leading to heavy congestion and extended travel times.

“This is an upgrade from our earlier proposal of an eight-lane facility,” said MSRDC vice-chairman and managing director Anilkumar Gaikwad, as per a TOI report. “The latest upgrade will cost around Rs 1,420 crore. The detailed project report (DPR) is being finalised and will soon be submitted to the government for approval.”

The 94.6-kilometre access-controlled expressway, which opened in 2002, begins at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai and ends at Kiwale near Pune. It is already undergoing enhancements such as the ‘missing link’ project in the Khandala Ghat section. The newly proposed 10-lane expansion will cover the remaining 67 km, ensuring smoother travel across the corridor.

The transformation of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway into a 10-lane corridor is poised to significantly enhance the commuting experience for thousands of travellers. For regular users, especially daily commuters and weekend holidaymakers, the expansion means fewer bottlenecks, reduced travel time, and smoother rides even during peak hours. Currently, heavy traffic often stretches a two-hour journey into nearly three, especially on weekends. With the additional lanes, congestion at key choke points is expected to ease, enabling faster, stress-free travel and improving road safety. Moreover, the improved capacity will better accommodate the growing volume of vehicles, making the expressway future-ready for years to come.

Instead of relying on government aid, MSRDC plans to fund the project through toll revenue. “We will bank on toll collection,” Gaikwad explained, noting that the current toll agreement is valid until 2045. If needed, an extension will be sought to keep the project financially self-sustaining. The construction cost is estimated at Rs 8,440 crore, while the total project cost is pegged at around Rs 14,260 crore. The final decision on the financing model, whether Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) or annuity, is yet to be made.

For the thousands of daily commuters and weekend travellers who face frequent bottlenecks, the upgrade promises welcome relief. Travel times, which stretch from two to nearly three hours on weekends, are expected to significantly drop once the new lanes are operational. “Frequent traffic snarls are becoming an impediment for travellers. The expansion proposal should be immediately cleared and work should commence,” said Manisha Khandekar, a regular on the route.

Pune MLA Mahesh Landge, in a recent social media post, supported the initiative, calling it a “long-awaited demand”. He added, “The expansion is needed considering the heavy traffic along the e-way.”

Land acquisition, often a hurdle in infrastructure projects, is expected to be limited. “MSRDC already holds land adjacent to most parts of the existing expressway,” an official involved in the project said. “Only some additional land parcels near tunnel zones will be required.”

If approved, the 10-lane expressway could become one of India’s most ambitious road infrastructure upgrades, a vital step in meeting the demands of a fast-growing vehicle population and ensuring high-capacity, seamless connectivity between two major cities.