Mumbai, June 5, 2025 — The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has announced plans to expand the Mumbai-Pune Expressway from six lanes to ten lanes in a bid to ease growing traffic congestion between the two cities.
The expressway, India’s first six-lane concrete toll road, connects Mumbai, the state’s financial capital, with Pune, a major industrial and IT hub. It currently handles over 1.5 lakh vehicles daily, leading to frequent bottlenecks, especially during weekends and holidays.
The expansion project will widen the expressway to five lanes in each direction, incorporating enhanced traffic management systems, wider medians, emergency lanes, and upgraded signage to improve road safety.
MSRDC officials stated that the project is estimated to cost ₹6,500 crore and will be executed in phases over the next four years. Construction is expected to begin by early 2026 once the detailed project report (DPR) is finalized.
Speaking about the development, MSRDC Vice Chairman and Managing Director Radheshyam Mopalwar said, “This upgrade will accommodate future traffic demands and reduce travel time significantly.”
The widened expressway is expected to reduce travel time by up to 30%, improve road safety by lowering accident rates, and boost the regional economy by facilitating smoother freight and passenger movement.
However, environmental groups have expressed concerns about the potential impact of the expansion on the fragile ecology of the Western Ghats. State authorities have assured that environmental impact assessments will be conducted, and mitigation measures such as compensatory afforestation will be implemented.
The MSRDC project aims to modernize one of Maharashtra’s most critical transport corridors, balancing infrastructure growth with environmental sustainability.
