NHAI unveils ₹5,000-cr Mumbai-Agra NH widening

The Nashik unit of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has initiated the process for widening and concretization of the Bhiwandi-Nashik stretch of the Mumbai-Agra national highway at an investment of ₹5,000 crore. The project will reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Nashik from around 3.5 hours to 2 hours. This 97-km long road is connected to the Bhiwandi bypass. Project Director, B S Salunke informed that the project would take around two-and- half years to complete. In this connection, the work on preparing of DPR is underway, which will be submitted to NHAI headquarters shortly. Thereafter, the work for the project will kick-off, he said. During his visit to Nashik last year, the Union transport minister had announced the strengthening of the Mumbai-Nashik highway. Under the new plan the 97-km road will be converted into six lanes — three on each side — between Gonde in Nashik and Vadpe (Bhiwandi) in Thane district. At present, each side of the road has two lanes and the entire stretch will be concretized so that issues like potholes during monsoons do not arise. NHAI has already initiated the process for acquiring the required land for the widening of the highway stretch.