Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Mumbai–Pune Express Highway (Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai Pune Expressway)
A. Infrastructure Purpose and Outcomes:

A study conducted by the Ministry of Road and Surface Transport (MOST) during 1985–9012
found the Mumbai–Pune corridor to be one of the most congested roads in the country,
leading to travel delays, accidents and economic losses. This project aimed to build a six-
lane concrete-paved road to connect two major metropolises in Maharashtra: Mumbai
(state capital, financial and administrative centre) and Pune (an industrial and educational
hub). The work started in the mid-1990s, and the highway was opened to traffic in a phased
manner from 2000 onwards. The 94.6 km expressway provides fast and convenient access
to over 130,000 vehicles per day between the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and
Pune (as per July 2018 estimates).
Additionally, it opened up connectivity to other cities in Maharashtra, such as Kolhapur and
Satara, and paved the way for express road travel from Mumbai to Bengaluru, thus
connecting two major metro regions in India.
B. Environmental Impacts:
a. Loss of Natural Habitat: The main environmental issues faced were the felling
of trees in the right of way (RoW) and the creation of barriers along the rocky
slopes to stop boulders from falling on the road, especially along the
mountainous sections.
b. Sustainability Measures Built into the Scope: The Maharashtra State Road
Development Corporation (MSRDC) had economic, safety and environmental
measures built into the project details. However, these measures were
project-specific, e.g. the development of food plazas, rest areas and
convenience stops along certain points on the expressway; the installation of
road safety signs, barriers and warnings; and the plantation of approximately
60,000 trees using drip-irrigation along the highway medians. The MSRDC
ensured the transplantation of 500 trees cut down in the RoW.
C. Key Institution(s) Involved: The MSRDC was the nodal agency involved in the
financing and asset management of this project. Created in 1996 through a
resolution of the state government, it is responsible for providing asset-management
services to road and bridge projects in Maharashtra. The Mumbai–Pune project only
includes sustainability in terms of tree plantation along the highway and in the
median. The major directives for the same came from the National Highways
Authority of India and the MSRDC.
D. Challenges Faced: The land acquisition was done through the MSRDC. Since this was
one of the first large-scale infrastructure projects in the country, the MPE did not
face much opposition from environmental groups. However, while the project paid a
brief nod to sustainability outcomes, there was little acknowledgement of green
technology that could be used in the construction and materials. Moreover, no effort
was made to harness readily available technology, such as solar panels or energy-
saving pavements. This highlights a lack of overall understanding of the issue of
sustainability and the significance of sustainability as a key project goal. The
construction was funded largely by indigenous financing, using debt, land-value
capture finance and toll revenue. The lack of foreign investment eschewed any scope
for international guidance or directives for sustainable measures to be built into the
design. The CAG report highlighted several financial discrepancies in the execution of
the project, including the lack of a detailed project report or a feasibility study
conducted for optimum site selection.
E. Way Forward: As with most road development projects, the Mumbai–Pune

Expressway is set to be widened to an eight-lane highway, from Adoshi Tunnel to
Khandala exit. This stretch of the expressway is currently a six-lane road but bears
the traffic of a 10-lane road (six-lane of Mumbai–Pune Expressway + four-lane of old
Mumbai–Pune road or National Highway4). The proposed realignment aims to
reduce travel time by 25–30 minutes and increase the MPE length to 100 km in all.
This will affect 74.7102 hectares of forest cover and is estimated to cost INR 5,000
crore. As of September 2019, the tunnelling work for the missing link has begun.

Mumbai-Pune Expressway

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Mumbai–Pune Express Highway (Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai Pune Expressway)

A. Infrastructure Purpose and Outcomes:

E. Way Forward: As with most road development projects, the Mumbai–Pune

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