Speed up road projects across Maharashtra: Shinde tells officials

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday chaired a high-level meeting and told the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) officials to speed up road works across the state, an official statement said.

Shinde, emphasising the importance of completing work on the Mumbai-Nashik highway before the monsoon, urged officials to ensure quality and timely completion of all projects.

During a review meeting, Eknath Shinde highlighted that 31 kilometres of concrete work on the Mumbai-Nashik highway remain unfinished. He called for urgent action to speed up work on stalled projects, including those at Pimpalasa Charoti and the railway overbridge, the statement said.

If contractors delay work, strict notices will be issued, he said.

Eknath Shinde also directed quick coordination with the railway authorities for megablock clearances to complete bridge work within a month.

Shinde stated that he expects the bridge on the Khadi near Kasheli to be finished by October and the one near Kalva by the end of June.

The monsoon should not disrupt smooth traffic flow on the Thane-Nashik highway, Shinde told the officials.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway missing link work project was also discussed during the meeting and the work was expected to be completed by December, officials said.

MSRDC is considering expanding the expressway from six to ten lanes to ease weekend traffic, at an estimated cost of Rs 14,900 crore.

In Pune, replanting of 10,000 trees affected by the Pune Ring Road project is in progress, with 4,000 successfully replanted so far. Native species like banyan, pipal, and gulmohar are being replanted scientifically with support from local organisations, the official statement said.

It said that Shinde also reviewed the coastal Konkan highway projects, urging speedier progress on nine bridges, including Revas-Karanja and Agardanda. He stressed the importance of accelerating the Konkan Expressway, which will improve connectivity between Mumbai and Sindhudurg.

86 temporary shelter centres are planned in Konkan for natural disaster relief, with 37 already under construction. Shinde advised building shelters near schools for dual use during the monsoon, the statement said.

It further said that on the Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth highway, Shinde called for dialogue with locals opposing the project to resolve their concerns. The highway aims to connect 12 districts with improved access, similar to the Samruddhi Highway.

Work on the new Mahabaleshwar project is progressing, with 294 villages now included. Shinde suggested promoting wellness centres and eco-friendly roads to boost local employment, the statement said.

Shinde also urged MSRDC to maintain quality and timely completion of all government projects and participate in slum redevelopment projects like CIDCO and MMRDA.

He emphasised removing illegal encroachments and beautifying bridge areas with trees before the monsoon.