Final Stretch of Samruddhi Mahamarg Set to Be Inaugurated Tomorrow, Paving Way for Full Nagpur–Mumbai Expressway

Mumbai: Maharashtra’s landmark infrastructure project — the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg — is set to become fully operational from Thursday, as the final 76-km stretch between Igatpuri in Nashik and Amane near Thane will be inaugurated. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, is expected to preside over the inauguration ceremony at Igatpuri.

This final phase completes the ambitious 701-km expressway connecting Nagpur to the outskirts of Mumbai. Built at a cost of ₹1,182 crore, the Igatpuri–Thane stretch has been developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) in collaboration with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

This section, which passes through the treacherous Kasara Ghat, is expected to drastically reduce travel time and improve road safety. What previously took over 90 minutes through winding hill roads will now take just 30–40 minutes. Once fully opened, the Samruddhi Mahamarg will cut travel time between Nagpur and Thane to around eight hours — nearly half the time taken earlier.

However, even after tomorrow’s inauguration, direct access to the expressway for commuters from Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai remains limited. This is due to the ongoing construction of the Vadpe interchange, a critical connector that will eventually link the Samruddhi Mahamarg with the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway and national highways, providing direct access to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and beyond. The Vadpe connector is expected to be completed only by mid-2026.

In the meantime, Mumbai-bound vehicles will have to access the expressway via a temporary route near the Shangrila Resort on the Mumbai–Nashik Highway, close to Bhiwandi. This stopgap arrangement will likely remain in place for another year, according to MSRDC officials quoted by The Indian Express.

Future plans also include new interchanges to improve connectivity to major urban centres like Kalyan, Dombivli, Badlapur, Vasai, Virar, Panvel and Navi Mumbai. Additionally, the MSRDC is working on expanding the 21.6-km Vadpe–Majiwada stretch of the Mumbai–Nashik Highway from four to eight lanes to reduce congestion, particularly for commercial traffic.