• Source:JND
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Mumbai News: On Wednesday, the Union Cabinet approved the construction of a 29-kilometre, six-lane expressway connecting Pagote in the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) area to Chouk, where the old Mumbai-Pune highway meets Karjat road. This new expressway will also link the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Mumbai-Goa National Highway (NH-66).

According to a Hindustan Times report, the project, estimated to cost over Rs 4,500 crore, aims to enhance logistics efficiency by providing a direct route from JNPA to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. To facilitate safe and speedy transport of commercial vehicles, including heavy trucks, the expressway will feature two tunnels through the Sahayadri mountain range, improving travel times compared to the congested ghat roads currently in use.

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This initiative aligns with the PM GatiShakti national master plan, which seeks to create integrated multimodal connectivity across various economic zones. The expressway will be developed under a Build, Operate and Transfer model, allowing a private company to handle construction and operations for a set period before transferring it to the government.

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With the rising container traffic at JNPA and the anticipated operations of the Navi Mumbai International Airport later this year, there is an increasing demand for improved highway connectivity in the region. Currently, vehicles take two to three hours to travel from JNPA to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway due to heavy congestion in urban areas like Palaspe Phata, D-Point, Kalamboli junction and Panvel, where daily traffic reaches 180,000 vehicles.

The new expressway is expected to enhance port connectivity and enable safer, more efficient freight movement, ultimately fostering growth and development in the Mumbai and Pune regions.