Nagpur

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Saturday announced that road infrastructure projects amounting to Rs 1.50 lakh crore have received approval for Maharashtra and are scheduled to begin from 2026.

Speaking to reporters at the Vidhan Bhavan premises, where the state legislature’s winter session is currently underway, the Nagpur MP said construction activity for many of these projects would commence within the next three months.

Gadkari was at the legislature complex to participate in an event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Vidhan Parishad.

Providing details, he said the Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSIDC) will build a new Pune–Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar expressway at a cost of Rs 16,318 crore, for which a memorandum of understanding has already been processed. Once completed, the expressway is expected to cut travel time between Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to around two hours, while the journey from Sambhajinagar to Nagpur will take about two-and-a-half hours.

The minister added that the foundation-laying ceremony for the Talegaon–Chakan–Shikrapur elevated road project, estimated at Rs 4,207 crore, will be held after the conclusion of local body elections. He also said the detailed project report for the Hadapsar–Yavat elevated road is currently being prepared, with construction slated to begin post elections.

According to Gadkari, road projects worth Rs 50,000 crore have been sanctioned for the Pune region alone, with work set to start shortly. He further noted that a proposed parallel expressway to the existing Pune–Mumbai route, costing about Rs 15,000 crore, will reduce travel time between the two cities to nearly 90 minutes, while the Mumbai–Pune–Bengaluru journey is expected to take around five-and-a-half hours.

ALSO READ: Rukhsana's story inspires Mewati women to fly with education

Of the total approved projects, he said, works valued at Rs 50,000 crore have been allotted to the Public Works Department.