Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Saturday announced that road, highway and urban mobility projects worth ₹1.5 lakh crore will be undertaken across Maharashtra in 2026, with a major focus on Pune, Nagpur and important intercity routes.
Speaking to the media outside the Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur after interacting with students of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Gadkari detailed a series of large infrastructure initiatives for Nagpur and the Vidarbha region. These include the 9-km Nagpur–Katol stretch along with Katol and Jamb bypasses, and a six-lane Nagpur–Bhandara highway to be developed at an estimated cost of ₹2,000 crore.
Several four-laning projects across north Maharashtra and Marathwada have also received approval. To strengthen connectivity between Vidarbha and western and central Maharashtra, the Centre has cleared the Pune–Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar new express highway, involving an investment of ₹16,318 crore. An MoU for the project has already been signed. Phase I, covering the Pune–Ahmednagar–Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar section, will be taken up at a cost of ₹2,000 crore and will include flyovers and supporting infrastructure.
A separate alignment is proposed from Shikarpur near Ahilyanagar through Beed, connecting to the Sambhajinagar greenfield highway. While toll-related decisions for this stretch are still pending, land shifting and related procedures are expected to be completed within the next two to three years.
“Once completed, travel time between Pune and Sambhajinagar is expected to reduce to around two hours, while Sambhajinagar-Nagpur will take about 2.5 hours, bringing Pune-Nagpur travel time down to 6 hours,” the minister said.
In the Pune metropolitan region, multiple elevated corridor projects have been approved. The Talegaon–Chakan–Shikarpur corridor will feature a three-level structure with a ground-level road, two flyovers, and a Metro line on top wherever planned, all supported on a single pillar. The project is estimated to cost ₹4,207 crore. The Nagpur MP said, “Bhoomipooja (ground breaking ceremony) is expected immediately after the elections, with tenders almost ready.”
Another three-level elevated corridor from Hadapsar to Yewat has received cabinet approval at a cost of ₹5,262 crore. Land acquisition has started and the DPR is under preparation, with construction likely to begin after the elections.
“Development works at Kalamboli worth ₹770 crore have also been assigned, taking the total value of projects allotted to MSIDC to around ₹27,000 crore, he added.
Projects awarded to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) include the Nashik Phata–Khed corridor, to be executed in two phases at a combined cost of ₹7,800 crore, with 93% land acquisition already completed. Phase I, from Nashik Phata to Alandi Phata, will cost ₹4,403 crore, while the Alandi Phata–Khed section is estimated at ₹3,398 crore. A flyover from Old Pune Naka to Satara Chowk has also been announced, contributing to an overall investment of nearly ₹50,000 crore for Pune alone.
Other major announcements include a western bypass on the accident-prone Pune–Satara road, with a new DPR worth ₹7,000 crore under preparation, and the Pune–Khambatki tunnel, which is nearing completion. Additionally, 25 standalone projects worth ₹15,000 crore and annual plan projects worth ₹60,000 crore have been approved, with another ₹20,000 crore awaiting clearance.
Gadkari also outlined plans for a parallel Mumbai–Pune Expressway and a greenfield JNPT–Shivare junction link as part of the Pune–Bengaluru highway. These projects, together valued at ₹15,000 crore, aim to cut Mumbai–Pune travel time to two hours and enable Mumbai–Bengaluru travel in about 5.5 hours.
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