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Capacity Augmentation of the Mumbai-Pune corridor

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Project Details
The new road link will be an 8-lane alignment of about 12kms, starting 2kms from the  Khalapur main toll plaza and ending near the Sinhgad Institute in Lonavala. The alignment involves two twin-tube tunnels of total length 11.62 km and a cable-stayed viaduct of 1.2km length.
Challenges Faced in Project Implementation
There are four primary challenges we are facing, during project implementation:
  • Obtaining environmental clearance for the missing link
  • Obtaining a NOC from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
  • Acquisition of forest land
  • Designing appropriate interchanges and elevated roads
Area of Expertise
Highway
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Project Overview

When the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway was constructed in 2002, it ushered in an era of speed in Maharashtra like never before. Today, 18 years later, it has become yet another clogged road plying traffic to and fro from Mumbai to Pune. 

Steep inclines, sharp turns, heavy-duty vehicles, and a near-continuous stream of traffic have resulted in the Expressway becoming one of the most-polluted and accident-prone roads in the state, even as it sits in the lap of nature. 

There is an urgent to build a sustainable solution to this problem and Dhruv has put forth the answer.

We are handling the Capacity Augmentation of the Mumbai-Pune corridor of the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway (YCEW) from km 0/000 to km 94/600, including the construction of the missing link of the Expressway from Khopoli exit to Singhgad institute.

In addition, we are responsible for undertaking the value addition works on NH-4 from Shil crossroads at km 131/200 to Nigadi at 20/400 and its connectors in the state of Maharashtra. These are to be executed as BOT (Toll) based on the Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Transfer (DBFOT) pattern.

The construction of this missing link is expected to eliminate all heavy-duty traffic from the expressway by providing a better, faster alternative, thereby reducing the number of accidents and pollution in the surroundings. The design of the Project has been approved, construction is underway and will be completed by 2022.

  • Reduction in current and future traffic
There is a common stretch of the NH-4 and Expressway from the Khalapur Toll Plaza to Khandala exit, where presently a six-lane expressway caters to the traffic of 10 lanes (6 lanes of YCEW expressway + 4 lanes of NH 4).  In addition, due to a ban on heavy vehicles and commercial traffic in the Khopoli, Khandala, and Lonavala cities, the traffic from NH-4 is plying on YCEW right from Khalapur toll plaza up to the Kusgaon Connector, thereby increasing the common length further to approximately 22km. There are steep gradient stretches, a deep valley on one side, and high mountains on the other, which results in vehicles breaking down, and continuous traffic jams. The Navi Mumbai Airport, which has got clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, is likely to be operational by 2021.  The new Airport will further increase the traffic between Pune and Mumbai. Construction of the missing link will provide an alternate and much-faster route to ease this traffic and prevent traffic jams. The total traffic of NH-4 and Expressway will be bifurcated due to the addition of the 8-lane new missing link dedicated to the expressway traffic. Commercial traffic on NH-4 will use the missing link via connector after the construction of the missing link. Hence, the problem of congestion will be sorted out. 
  • Reduction in air and sound pollution in the surrounding area
Vehicles run in lower gears due to sharp curves and steep gradients of the road, and hence air pollution and noise level increasing day by day. In the construction of the missing link, smooth gradients have been proposed as per IRC guidelines. and sharp horizontal curves and hairpin bends have been removed. This will ensure a definite reduction in the air and sound pollution in the surrounding region.
  • Decrease in total travel time
The missing link will save a distance of about 10kms from Mumbai to Pune. This will result in a total saving in travel time of about 24 minutes.
  • Reduction in the number of accidents
Bifurcation of traffic and reduction of steep gradients and curves are expected to substantially reduce the occurrence of accidents.

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