Deputy CM writes to Gadkari for expansion of 3 national highways in Pune dist
He requested for the expansion of NH-60 from Nashik Phata to Khed (four to six lanes), NH-65 from Hadapsar to Yavat (four to six lanes) and NH-548D from Talegaon to Chakan to Shikrapur (two to four lanes), citing that the existing infrastructure had fallen short of current demands because of rapid urban expansion and rising vehicular pressure.
In his letter, Ajit Pawar noted that arterial roads were burdened by growing residential clusters, IT hubs, industrial parks, educational institutions and hospitals.
He emphasised that these stretches passed through high-traffic zones with vital economic activity, where congestion had exceeded the designed capacity.
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"Traffic issues have been affecting Pune for a long time, and the situation has worsened in recent years. Current lane configurations have exceeded the capacity because of increased traffic volumes, especially during peak hours," Ajit Pawar stated.
He wrote that there was an urgent requirement to add extra lanes within the existing land width to accomodate the peak hours' traffic effectively.
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"There have been constant demands from residents to widen the highways," he stated.
The deputy chief minister particularly highlighted the Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur route — part of an elevated corridor project requiring interim widening during the construction. "There have been demands for wider highways in this area," he said in the letter.
Ajit Pawar argued that heavy traffic on these corridors created cascading congestion on the route to Pune.
Acknowledging that the elevated highway proposal was under bidding, he said interim widening within the available land would be an effective solution. He urged the Centre to approve the proposals and allocate funds, terming the move crucial for road safety and regional connectivity.
Officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said all three highway-widening projects were currently pending with state govt.
For NH-60, the Union cabinet sanctioned a 42km elevated eight-lane project worth Rs7,800 crore, but the state needs to provide 14 hectares of land for ramp construction.
"The state cabinet approved the funds for land acquisition in April 2025 but it is yet to be distributed to the Pune Metropolitan Region Authority and the Pune Municipal Corporation. Bids cannot be invited till 100% possession of 14 hectares of land.
We are trying to get an assurance letter with timelines from state govt for the land,''a senior NHAI official said.
Detailed project reports for NH-65 and NH-548D were submitted to state govt, which handed over both roads to Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSIDC) for development. "These two elevated corridors are to be done by MSIDC and not NHAI, as per the letter from the ministry of road transport and highways," added the official.
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