In response to frequent potholes during the monsoon season and traffic congestion, a significant development is underway for a 20-km stretch of the Mumbai-Agra highway outside Nashik. Nashik city MLA, Devyani Pharande, announced that a tender has been floated for concreting this problematic patch.
The decision follows a meeting headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, where the concerns of commuters on the Mumbai-Agra highway were discussed. The crucial highway connecting North Maharashtra to Mumbai has been a point of contention due to extended travel times, taking six to seven hours to reach the state capital.
MLA Pharande emphasized that a stretch from Gonde to Pimpalgaon is currently a six-lane road, causing severe bottlenecks as it narrows to a four-lane stretch from Gonde to Vadpe on the Mumbai side. She proposed the urgent need for a six-lane road from Gonde to Vadpe to alleviate congestion.
District Guardian Minister Dada Bhuse, present at the meeting, disclosed that the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC) is overseeing the development work between Thane and Vadpe. This initiative includes constructing underpasses or flyovers at traffic-prone spots, resulting in the expansion of the road to eight lanes.
MLA Pharande assured that the entire work on the Thane-Vadpe stretch is expected to conclude within the next four months, providing much-needed relief to commuters facing daily challenges on this critical highway.