Pune: A significant infrastructure project has been greenlit, involving the construction of a 30-kilometer-long, 8-lane elevated National High-Speed Corridor from Nashik Phata to Khed, near Pune.

This project, set to be developed on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis, will incur a total capital cost of ₹7,827 crore.

This elevated corridor aims to provide seamless, high-speed connectivity for traffic to and from the industrial hubs of Chakan and Bhosari along NH-60, between Pune and Nashik.

Additionally, it will help alleviate the severe congestion currently plaguing the Pimpri-Chinchwad area.

The project includes the construction of an 8-lane elevated flyover on a single pier at Tier-1, as well as the upgrade of the existing road to a 4/6-lane configuration with a 2-lane service road on both sides.

This will cover the Nashik Phata to Khed section in two packages: Pkg-1 from km 12.190 to km 28.925 and Pkg-2 from km 28.925 to km 42.113 on NH-60 in Maharashtra.

The government has shifted to a corridor-based approach for highway infrastructure development, focusing on consistent standards, user convenience, and logistics efficiency.

This method contrasts with the previous project-based approach, which targeted local congestion issues. The new approach has identified a network of 50,000 kilometers of high-speed highway corridors, informed by a scientific transport study using GSTN and toll data, to support India's goal of becoming a $30+ trillion economy by 2047.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the development of eight key National High-Speed Corridor projects spanning 936 kilometers at a cost of ₹50,655 crore nationwide.

These projects are expected to generate an estimated 4.42 crore man-days of direct and indirect employment.