look news india
New Delhi. The Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway, also known as Samriddhi Mahamarg, is expected to be fully operational by November 2024. The 701 km long expressway is one of India's largest infrastructure projects and upon its completion will significantly reduce travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur. This expressway will also connect Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai with Nagpur-Multimodal International Hub Airport (MIHAN) in Nagpur. With the full operation of this expressway, the time of the devotees going to Shirdi and Shani Shingnapur will also be saved. The Mumbai–Nagpur Expressway was announced in 2015, land acquisition began in 2017 and its foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2018.
After this 6-lane expressway is completely opened for traffic, the time taken to go from Mumbai to Nagpur will reduce from 16 hours to 8 hours. The first phase (Nagpur to Shirdi section) of the 701 km long Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 December 2022. The section from Nagpur to Shirdi is about 520 kilometers long. The 80 km long section from Shirdi to Igatpuri was opened for traffic in May 2023. Now construction work is going on in full swing on the remaining 101 km stretch.
55 thousand crore rupees will be spent
Mumbai–Nagpur Expressway is a 6-lane access controlled expressway. It is being built at a cost of Rs 55 thousand crores. This is the second expressway in Maharashtra after Mumbai-Pune Expressway. This is also a greenfield project. Mumbai Nagpur Expressway (Mumbai Nagpur Expressway Route) passes through 10 districts of Maharashtra – Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana, Jalna, Aurangabad, Nashik, Ahmednagar and Thane. There are three wildlife sanctuaries on the route of the expressway.
Special benefits for devotees
With the complete opening of this expressway for traffic, it will take less time to reach religious places like Trimbakeshwar, Shirdi and Shani Shingnapur from Mumbai. Shirdi and Shani Shingnapur are in Ahmednagar district, while Trimbakeshwar is located in Nashik district. There will be 33 major bridges, 274 minor bridges, six tunnels and 65 flyovers on the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway. There are many mountains from Nashik to Thane. An 8 kilometer long, 17.6 meter wide and 9.12 meter high tunnel has also been built in these mountains.
