Good news for Mumbai commuters as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has said that an elevated corridor between the newly commissioned Mumbai Trans Harbour Sealink (MTHL) and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway will be completed by February 2027, the Indian Express reported.
The corridor worth Rs 1,100 crore is to ensure smooth connectivity and consists of two elevated corridors. While one corridor would be from the Chirle end of MTHL to Gavan Phata, and another from Palaspe Phata to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
The elevated corridor will have six lanes that will pass over the JNPT–Panvel National Highway (NH-348) and will be constructed between Chirle and Gavan Phata, including the reconstruction of service roads. Meanwhile, the MMRDA will also construct a similar six-lane elevated corridor along the Old Mumbai-Pune National Highway (NH-48) in the Raigad district. This corridor will also include widening NH-48 to six lanes.
Metropolitan Commissioner of MMRDA Dr Sanjay Mukherjee IAS has described the project as transformative which emphasises reshaping the regional connectivity and easing traffic congestion, particularly on NH-348.
Mukerjee said, as Indian Express quoted, "By seamlessly integrating Atal Setu with the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, we are ensuring efficient traffic dispersal and eliminating congestion at crucial junctions, particularly on NH-348, which carries a significant load of multi-axle container traffic from JNPT."
The elevated corridors will have a combined length of 4,958 metres in the Chirle section and 1,700 metres in the Palaspe section. The corridor will significantly improve traffic flow and defuse congestion situations while making the region more accessible and boosting economic growth.