Mumbai/Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday inaugurated the final 76-kilometre stretch of the Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, marking the formal completion of the ambitious 701-kilometre Nagpur–Mumbai Super Communication Expressway.
The ceremony took place in Igatpuri, around 140 kilometres from Mumbai, and was attended by Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, along with senior state ministers Dada Bhuse, Shivendraraje Bhosale, and Narhari Zirwal.
Gold Rate
06 June 2025
With the inauguration of the final leg — from Igatpuri in Nashik district to Amane in Bhiwandi taluka of Thane district — the entire six-lane, access-controlled greenfield corridor is now complete. The stretch will be thrown open to vehicular traffic shortly, said officials from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which executed the project.
Nagpur to Mumbai in just 8 hours
With the expressway fully functional, the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur will be cut drastically — from 17-18 hours on older highways to just 8 hours via the Samruddhi Mahamarg. The corridor is designed for high-speed travel, with speed limits of 120 km/h on plains and 100 km/h in hilly stretches.
The expressway traverses 392 villages across 26 talukas and 10 districts, cutting through five revenue divisions, and is aimed at transforming the state’s transport landscape while accelerating economic development.
Following the ribbon-cutting, CM Fadnavis and both Deputy CMs inspected key components of the expressway, including the longest tunnel near Igatpuri and the adjacent viaduct. Notably, Shinde drove a luxury vehicle with Fadnavis in the passenger seat and Ajit Pawar seated in the rear for a 45-minute inspection ride to Amane. On the return leg, Fadnavis took the wheel.
In a parallel event, the newly constructed third creek bridge near the Sion-Panvel Highway in Navi Mumbai was also inaugurated virtually.
Officials said the final leg will significantly benefit pilgrims travelling from Mumbai and Thane to Shirdi, while also offering faster access to markets in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region for farmers from Sinnar, Shirdi, and Igatpuri.
Moreover, the expressway seamlessly connects with other strategic routes and hubs, including the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), and heritage-tourism hotspots like the Ajanta–Ellora caves, Shirdi, and Lonar Lake.
Phased rollout of a Rs 55,000-crore dream project
The Samruddhi Expressway, constructed at a cost of approximately ₹55,000 crore, was launched in phases:
• Phase 1 (520 km): Nagpur to Shirdi, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 11, 2022.
• Phase 2 (80 km): Shirdi to Bharvir Interchange, opened on May 26, 2023.
• Phase 3 (25 km): Bharvir to Igatpuri, operational from March 4, 2024.
• Final Phase (76 km): Igatpuri to Amane, inaugurated on June 5, 2025.
So far, over two crore vehicles have used the expressway, underlining its growing popularity among commuters and freight operators.
With the full route now open, the Samruddhi Mahamarg is expected to be a cornerstone in Maharashtra’s infrastructure push — enhancing connectivity, supporting regional economies, and heralding a new era of road transport in India.
