MMRDA plans a new highway to improve regional connectivity

A new highway project will improve the connection between Kalyan, Dombivli, Ulhasnagar, and Mumbai, reducing traffic congestion and increasing access to Navi Mumbai.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will benefit from a new controlled-access highway connecting Kalyan, Dombivli, Ulhasnagar, Ambarnath, and Badlapur to Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and the future Navi Mumbai International Airport. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has published a tender to compile a detailed project report (DPR) for the highway’s construction, marking a key step forward in the project’s realisation.

Project alignment and details

The controlled-access highway will start around Badlapur on the Mumbai-Delhi route. It will have important interchanges with key routes like the Mumbai-Vadodara Spur, Katai-Badlapur Road, and Kalyan Ring Road. Key interchanges will be built at Palegaon in Ambernath and Hedutane in Kalyan (East), with connections to Metro Route 12. The highway would also connect Kalyan Ring Road and Kalyan-Shilphata Road.

The project is 20 kilometres long, with 13.65 kilometres at grade, 3.95 kilometres of viaduct, and a 3-kilometre tunnel. It has five vehicular underpasses and four interchanges at strategic points: the Mumbai-Vadodara spur, the Badlapur interchange, the Hedutane interchange, and the Kalyan Ring Road interchange. The project, which will cover around 200 hectares of land, is anticipated to cost ₹ 10,833 crore. According to an Indian Express story, it is designed as an 8-lane divided carriageway with service lanes and is capable of reaching speeds of 80 km/h.

The highway would improve direct access to the Navi Mumbai International Airport and the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA), reducing traffic congestion on Thane’s roads and surrounding highways. Project SignificanceThe rapid population expansion in the subregions of Badlapur, Ambernath, Ulhasnagar, Kalyan, and Dombivli has surpassed infrastructure development. Currently, these locations lack proper connectivity to major urban centres such as Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and the future international airport. The new roadway will give much-needed direct access while dramatically reducing traffic congestion in the city’s core by redirecting traffic away from congested highways.

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