Motorists using the Mumbai-Pune Expressway will now have to pay the toll till 2045. The earlier deadline for toll collection was 2030.
A senior official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said the toll period is being increased by 15 years to fund the ‘missing link’ project. According to the government’s toll policy, the toll is revised every three years at 6% per annum. By 2045, the one-way toll for cars between the two cities would be a little over ₹1,000.
The project involves the construction of a 13.3-km-long road, which will start from the Khopoli underpass and end near Sinhgad Institute at Kusgaon on the expressway. The link will shorten the distance between the two cities by six kilometers and is expected to reduce the average travel time by 25 minutes. The eight-lane road will be almost a straight road and comprise two sections of viaducts (measuring 700 metres and 750 metres) and two tunnel sections ( measuring 1.4 km and 8.9 km).
A senior MSRDC official said, “There will be two four-lane viaducts and two four-lane tunnels in each section. The the link will eliminate six steep turns and reduce the gradient of the route considerably. This will go a long way in easing the congestion along the entire expressway.” After the link is built, motorists can avoid the ghat section heading to Pune.
Three-year deadline
The bids for the project were opened last week with Afcons Infrastructure and Navyuga Engineering emerging as the lowest bidders for viaducts and tunnels respectively. The total expected project cost is ₹5,300 crore.
The official said, “The MSRDC board will take the final call on awarding the tender. We expect work on the project to start after the monsoon. The contractors are expected to complete the work within three years of awarding the tender.”
