In response to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s initiative to tackle traffic congestion at Pune’s entry and exit points, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has officially opened the bidding process. The projects include the construction of a 26 km long six-lane highway and a flyover (elevated road) between Pune-Shirur on Ahmednagar Road; and a 29 km long eight-tier flyover (elevated road) between Pimpri to Khed on Nashik Road.
The anticipated cost for these endeavours is approximately ₹13,000 crore. The highway authority plans to build these flyovers and roads on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis, for which bids are to be submitted before February 7, 2024.
The entry points of both Pune-Ahmednagar and Nashik roads face continuous traffic jams, causing inconvenience to citizens on a regular basis.
To address this issue, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had earlier announced the construction of elevated roads parallel to existing highways earlier this year. Gadkari also revealed an ambitious plan of ₹55,000 crores to build a network of elevated roadways to all entry points of the Pune city including one on Satara Road and another on Solapur Road.
Accordingly, NHAI prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and invited bids on Thursday for the construction of elevated routes in the Pune district. According to the tender notice, the Pune-Shirur route is expected to cost ₹ 7,500 crore while the Nashik Phata-Khed route will cost ₹ 6,300 crore.
Bharat Todkar, consultant engineer of NHAI said, “The NHAI has invited bids for projects which are part of Union Minister Gadkari’s plan to develop elevated roads to Pune city’s all entry points. In the recent past, we have completed the Chandani Chowk multi-level flyover. It is an important point of the western side of Pune city. Now, we are concentrating on the east part of the entry point which is the Pune-Ahmednagar Road where Shirur is located. Besides that, we have prepared a detailed project report (DPR) of Talegaon Shikrapur, Pune Solapur. In the greenfield corridor, we will develop Pune Bengaluru and Pune Aurangabad Road (New alignment).”
{{/usCountry}}Bharat Todkar, consultant engineer of NHAI said, “The NHAI has invited bids for projects which are part of Union Minister Gadkari’s plan to develop elevated roads to Pune city’s all entry points. In the recent past, we have completed the Chandani Chowk multi-level flyover. It is an important point of the western side of Pune city. Now, we are concentrating on the east part of the entry point which is the Pune-Ahmednagar Road where Shirur is located. Besides that, we have prepared a detailed project report (DPR) of Talegaon Shikrapur, Pune Solapur. In the greenfield corridor, we will develop Pune Bengaluru and Pune Aurangabad Road (New alignment).”
{{/usCountry}}Pune-Shirur elevated corridor
The Pune-Shirur elevated corridor, covering an ambitious 62 km stretch, is set to become a cornerstone in enhancing connectivity and reducing travel time. It will start from Wagholi (PMC limits) and end at Shirur. The project involves the construction of a 6-lane elevated highway and is part of a broader initiative. Construction of an elevated highway corridor (6-lane at-grade and 6-lane elevated highway) (section from Pune to Shirur on Build Operate Transfer-Toll (BOT mode), the project focuses on creating a modern and efficient highway under the BOT (toll) model.
Nashik Phata-Khed/Rajgurunagar elevated corridor
The Nashik Phata-Khed/Rajgurunagar elevated corridor, a crucial component of Pune’s highway projects, aims to substantially upgrade the existing road infrastructure with a 6-lane configuration. It is an up gradation of the existing road to 4/6 Lane with 2 lane service road on both sides and the construction of 8 lane elevated flyover on a single pier (section from Alandi Phata to Khed on BOT (toll), the project is designed to ease traffic congestion and enhance the overall travel experience.
Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur Road
The Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur road’s 4-lane upgrade represents another crucial step in enhancing Pune’s road network, aiming to transition the existing 2-lane highway to a 4-lane configuration. Upgrading of existing 2-lane highway to 4 lanes at grade with construction of 4 lane elevated flyover in Maharashtra to be executed on BOT (toll) mode, this project holds significance for the region’s industrial and commercial sectors.