New 135 km Mumbai-Pune Highway to Ease Congestion, Cut Travel Time

• A new 135 km Shirur-Chakan-Talegaon-Karjat highway is planned to alleviate severe congestion on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
• The project aims to provide a high-speed alternative, especially for traffic from Marathwada heading to Mumbai.
• The four-lane 'multimodal corridor' will divert heavy vehicles from industrial belts like Shikrapur, Chakan, and Talegaon, bypassing city traffic.
• It will significantly reduce travel time and fuel costs for commuters, easing the burden on the existing Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
• The ambitious project, estimated at ₹12,500 crores, will be implemented on a 'Build-Operate-Transfer' (BOT) basis.