Pune: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, announced the construction of a new 14-lane expressway that will run from Atal Setu in Mumbai to Bangalore, connecting with Pune’s Ring Road.

The tender for the project has been issued, and construction is expected to begin within the next six months. This new infrastructure is expected to alleviate traffic congestion on the existing Mumbai-Pune Expressway, diverting vehicles away from Pune city and making travel between Mumbai and Pune faster.

The announcement was made during the "COEP Pride Awards" ceremony held by the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) and its Alumni Association. While addressing the gathering, Gadkari shared a personal anecdote that led to the decision.

Gadkari said, "When we built the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, we believed it would suffice for the next 50 years. But recently, while I traveled from Nagpur to Pune, my son and daughter-in-law, who were coming from Mumbai, got stuck in Lonavala for an hour. That's when I realized the need for a new expressway."

The new 14-lane expressway will be a direct route from Mumbai to Bangalore and will connect with Pune’s Ring Road. This new route will significantly reduce the traffic load on the current Mumbai-Pune Expressway, with Gadkari estimating that over half of the vehicles on the old highway will shift to the new one.

Vehicles exiting Mumbai via the Atal Setu will seamlessly join the new expressway, making it easier for them to reach Bangalore via the Pune Ring Road. Additionally, the expressway will enable vehicles to connect to the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Road within two hours.