NEW DELHI: The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of a new 6-lane access-controlled high-speed National Highway (NH) to connect Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Pagote) with Chowk village on Old Pune highway via Goa highway and Pune expressway. The project is estimated to cost Rs 4,500 crore.
The 29-km highway aimed at improving connectivity for faster transportation of goods to and from the largest container port will be developed on build, operate and transfer (BOT) mode in 30 months from the start of work.
The central govt said that the need for the high-speed corridor was felt considering the increasing container volume at the port and the development of the Navi Mumbai International Airport.
“Currently, it takes 2-3 hours for vehicles to move from JNPA Port to the arterial Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) section of NH-48 and Mumbai-Pune Expressway due to heavy congestion in urban areas like Palaspe Phata, D-Point, Kalamboli junction, and Panvel,” the central govt said.
Announcing the decision, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the project is designed to address connectivity requirements and to improve the logistics efficiency of connecting JNPA port and Navi Mumbai International Airport. He added, “This new NH will ease congestion on roads connecting the port and nearby NHs, especially for the port related traffic. It will reduce travel time and burden on various interchanges of Mumbai-Goa Highway, Mumbai-Pune Expressway, and intercity roads of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.”
The project includes six major and five minor bridges, four elevated stretches and two tunnels. The tunnels passing through Sahayadri are provided for ease of movement for commercial vehicles instead of a ghat section in hilly terrain, ensuring high speed and ease of movement for large container trucks.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “The project will add momentum to the growth of the regions around Mumbai and Pune.”
Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari said the development of the country’s infrastructure is gaining new momentum, with port connectivity and modern highways. “This will help in enhancing regional infrastructure and trade efficiency,” he added.
