₹4,206 Crore approved for Pune highway project connecting NH-48 and NH-753

The Maharashtra government approved a ₹4,206 crore highway project to increase connectivity between Talegaon, Chakan, and Shikrapur, aiming to reduce traffic congestion in Pune and encourage industrial growth.

The Maharashtra government approved a ₹4,206 crore infrastructure project to modernise the highway network connecting Talegaon, Chakan, and Shikrapur. This project aims to improve regional connections, reduce traffic congestion in Pune, and stimulate long-term economic growth in the area.

The planned highway will be a vital link between the Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH-48) and the Pune-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Highway (NH-753). Designed to serve as an outer ring road for Pune, it will play an important role in diverting heavy vehicle traffic away from the city’s densely crowded urban arteries, greatly reducing congestion.

The project includes a four-lane raised and ground-level road between Talegaon and Chakan, as well as a six-lane stretch between Chakan and Shikrapur, both of which are designed to accommodate heavy commercial traffic. The Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSIDC) will create the 53-kilometre-long highway using the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) paradigm.

This infrastructural upgrade is intended to significantly improve logistics and transportation efficiency. The project intends to relieve pressure on the Shikrapur-Chakan-Talegaon-Lonavala corridor, which is currently congested and home to several significant industrial zones, by providing a more direct route for cars travelling between Marathwada and Mumbai.

Beyond economic benefits, the project incorporates environmental and community-friendly planning components. These include bypasses around villages and a tunnel through the Khandala Ghat portion, which will help maintain a consistent road gradient and uninterrupted transport while reducing environmental impact.

This highway renovation, which is slated to begin shortly, is a crucial step towards creating sustainable, future-ready infrastructure in the Pune metropolitan region.