Igatpuri (Maharashtra), June 5 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was accompanied by Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, on Thursday inaugurated the last phase of 76 km of Igatpuri to Aamne, Thane of the 701 km Hinduhrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg that connects Nagpur with Mumbai.

With the inauguration of the last phase of Samruddhi Highway, the entire 701 km-long road has been put into service. Now, the Nagpur-Mumbai journey can be completed in eight hours instead of 16 hours.

The distance from Igatpuri to Kasara will be covered in just 8 minutes and there are a total of 5 tunnels in this 76 km phase. Among them, the longest tunnel on the Samruddhi Highway is 8 km long is in Nashik district that starts from Igatpuri.

Before the inauguration, the Chief Minister and both the Deputy Chief Ministers travelled through the tunnel by car. The CM said: ”Maharashtra’s path to prosperity – paved and delivered!”

He further said: “A vision completed, boosting connectivity and driving sustainable growth for Maharashtra. Maharashtra’s Prosperity Lifeline: Samruddhi Mahamarg!A historic moment highlighting Maharashtra’s growth and progress through essential infrastructural development.”

The Chief Minister’s Office in a post on X said: “Dream Turns into Reality. CM Devendra Fadnavis enjoyed a drive on the ‘Hinduhrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg’ along with DCM Eknath Shinde and DCM Ajit Pawar. This visionary project, and brainchild of CM Devendra Fadnavis himself, stands as a symbol of Maharashtra’s progress. This historic drive witnessed the realisation of a long-cherished dream for the state.”

Commenting on their travel together in the same car, Fadnavis said, “Our car is working fine. We three work in three shifts.”

CM Fadnavis said: “We are happy that the inauguration of fourth phase and the entire stretch of 701 km of Samruddhi Mahamarg is now opened for vehicular traffic during the tenure of the MahaYuti government. Now in the next phase, the government proposes to develop Shaktipeeth Mahamarg which will completely transform the Marathwada and it will bring economic changes there. The work will begin soon on this project.”

Of the 701 km, the first phase of 520 km of the Samruddhi Mahamarg was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 11, 2023, the second phase of 80 km between Shirdi and Bharvir by ex-CM Eknath Shinde on May 26, 2023, the third phase of 25 km between Bharvir and Igatpuri by the former public works minister (MSRDC) on March 4, 2024.

The MSRDC has constructed this 701-km long access controlled expressway at a cost of Rs 55,335 crore. The six-lane expressway, which passes through 10 districts, 26 talukas and 392 villages of the state, has been completed in phases. With the commissioning of entire project, 12 districts are now connected with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority.

In a related development, the southern section of the Thane Creek Bridge-3 project of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) that goes from Pune to Mumbai was also inaugurated by the Chief Minister through video conferencing. This section will make the Pune-Mumbai travel easier.

–IANS

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