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The Mumbai Pune Expressway (Marathi: मुंबई-पुणे द्रुतगती महामार्ग) is India's first six-lane concrete, high-speed, access controlled tolled expressway. It spans a distance of 93 km (58 miles) connecting Mumbai, the financial capital of India, and the neighboring industrial hub city of Pune. It has introduced for India new paradigms of speed and safety in automobile transportation. The expressway has reduced the travel time between the cities of Mumbai and Pune to approximately two hours. For most practical purposes, it has replaced the older Mumbai-Pune National Highway (NH4), which had become extremely congested and accident-prone over time. The expressway starts at Kalamboli (near Panvel) and ends at Dehu Rd. (near Pune). It cleaves through the scenic Sahyadri mountain ranges via passes (Marathi:घाट) and tunnels. It has five interchanges Kon (Shedung), Chowk, Khalapur, Kusgaon and Talegaon. The expressway has two carriageways with three concrete lanes each separated by a central divider and a tarmac or concrete shoulder on either side. Vehicles with fewer than four wheels and agricultural tractors are not permitted, although tractor-trailers (semi-trailer rigs are permitted). The expressway handles about 30,000 PCUs and is designed to handle up to 100,000 PCUs.
HistoryIn 1990, the Government of Maharashtra appointed RITES and Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick of United Kingdom to carry out feasibility studies for the new expressway to be operated on toll basis. RITES submitted their report in 1994 with the estimated cost of project at Rs. 1146 crores (11.46 billion rupees). The Government of Maharashtra entrusted the work of the construction of Mumbai-Pune expressway to MSRDC in March 1997 on Build-Operate-Transfer basis with permission to collect toll for 30 years. The environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India was received on October 13, 1997. The Forest Clearance was received on November 11, 1997. The tender notice was published in leading newspapers all over India and also on the Internet. Due to wide publicity, 133 tenders were sold and on December 18, 1997, 55 tenders were received. After technical and financial evaluation, tenders were accepted and work orders were given on January 1, 1998 to four contractors. Thereafter tenders for widening of Khandala ghat and Lonavala-Khandala bypass works were invited. The tenders were received on August 24, 1998 and orders were issued on September 4, 1998. Construction The project was completed under the stewardship of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). TunnelsIt has five illuminated, ventilated tunnels totalling 5,724 metres. These tunnels were built by the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. These are:
The entire length of expressway has a single layer of barbed wire fencing to keep out loose cattle. Distances
TollsToll is collected at Khalapur (for the Mumbai-Pune direction) and at Talegaon (for the Pune-Mumbai direction). The toll ranges from Rs.140 for private cars, to Rs.960 for multi-axle trailer trucks. Gallery
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