Pune: The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has reached a significant milestone in its ambitious ring road project for the Pune region.
The deadline for submitting tenders for the construction of the 31-kilometer stretch between Solapur Road and Pune-Bangalore Highway has expired, with eight companies submitting bids for the project, which is divided into three phases.
The ring road project, designed to alleviate traffic congestion in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, is being executed by MSRDC. The road has been divided into two major sections—East and West.
The eastern section passes through five talukas, including Haveli. As of now, MSRDC has successfully acquired 70% of the land required for the eastern section of the project.
Initially, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had taken up the responsibility of constructing the green corridor between Pune and Aurangabad. This proposed route overlapped with the ring road in certain locations.
Consequently, NHAI had initially agreed to take over the construction of the 31-kilometer stretch between Solapur Road and Pune-Bangalore Highway. However, a recent change of plan by NHAI led to the responsibility for this stretch being returned to MSRDC.
Following this development, MSRDC called for tenders, dividing the 31-kilometer stretch into three phases. The deadline for submitting bids was the first week of September, during which eight companies came forward.
The technical evaluation of these tenders is currently underway. MSRDC officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that this work will be carried out in 12 phases.
Earlier rounds of tenders for the project had become controversial, as bids had been submitted at rates 40-45% higher than the project’s estimated cost, leading to disputes.
Details of the Eastern Ring Road
The ring road will connect the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, Nashik-Solapur Highway, and the Satara-Bangalore Highway.
It passes through five talukas: Maval, Khed, Haveli, Purandar, and Bhor.
It will pass through 46 villages in these talukas.
Total length: 103 km, with a width of 110 meters.
Six-lane highway with seven tunnels, seven underpasses, two bridges over rivers, and two railway overpasses.
A total of 859.88 hectares of land will need to be acquired for the project, with an estimated cost of ₹1,434 crore.
The estimated cost of highway construction is ₹4,713 crore.
