Building next-gen infrastructure for growth: PM on new highway
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the decisions of the Union Cabinet to build a new highway and widen an existing one will boost logistics and generate large-scale employment.
The Cabinet approved the construction of a six-lane greenfield access-controlled Nashik-Solapur-Akkalkot corridor in Maharashtra with a total capital cost of Rs 19,142 crore. The 374-km project will be constructed on BOT (Toll) mode, according to an official statement. This project will provide connectivity to important regional cities such as Nashik, Ahilyanagar, and Solapur, connecting to Kurnool, it said. This infrastructure is a significant step to facilitate integrated transport infrastructure development under the PM Gatishakti National Master Plan principle, it added.
“Building next-gen infrastructure for growth,” the PM said in a post on X, after the Union Cabinet approved a new six-lane greenfield corridor between Nashik and Solapur, and widening and strengthening of the NH-326 in Odisha.
“The Cabinet has approved the 6-lane Nashik-Solapur-Akkalkot greenfield corridor in Maharashtra. Aligned with PM GatiShakti, this transformative project will cut travel time significantly, strengthen west-to-east connectivity, boost logistics and generate large-scale employment, thereby powering economic growth,” Modi said.
He said the Union Cabinet’s approval for the widening and strengthening of NH-326 in Odisha will give a boost for the state’s progress. The prime minister said this important project will make travel faster and improve connectivity across Gajapati, Rayagada and Koraput districts in Odisha. “It will create employment opportunities, boost tourism and industry, as well as accelerate inclusive development in tribal areas,” he said. Briefing the media about Cabinet decisions, Union Minister Aswhini Vaishnaw said the greenfield corridor from Nashik to Akkalkot is proposed to be connected to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Vadhawan port interchange, Agra-Mumbai corridor at Nashik at junction with NH-60 (Adegaon) and Samruddhi Mahamarg at Pangri (near Nashik). The statement said the proposed corridor will provide through connectivity from the west coast to east coast.
From the Chennai port end, 4-lane corridors are already in progress from Chennai to Hasapur (MH Border) via Thiruvallur, Renigunta, Kadappa, and Kurnool (700 km long).
The primary purpose of the proposed access-controlled six-lane greenfield project corridor is to improve travel efficiency and is expected to reduce travel time by 17 hours and reduce the travel distance by 201 km, Vaishnaw said.
The six-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor with close tolling, supporting average vehicular speeds of 60 km/hour with a design speed of 100 km/hour. This will reduce the overall travel time to about 17 hours from 31 hours, while offering safer, faster, and uninterrupted connectivity for both passengers and freight vehicles, the statement said.
