Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on December 31 approved the construction of a 6-lane greenfield access-controlled Nashik-Solapur-Akkalkot corridor in Maharashtra on BOT (Toll) Mode across a length of 374 km with a total capital cost of Rs.19,142 crore. The project will provide connectivity to important regional cities such as Nashik, Ahilyanagar, and Solapur, connecting to Kurnool. This infrastructure is a significant step to facilitate integrated transport infrastructure development under the PM Gatishakti National Master Plan principle, according to an official statement.
The greenfield corridor from Nashik to Akkalkot is proposed to be connected to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Vadhawan port interchange, the Agra-Mumbai corridor in Nashik at junction with NH-60 (Adegaon), and the Samruddhi Mahamarg at Pangri (near Nashik).
The proposed corridor will provide through connectivity from the west coast to the east coast. From 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 it is expected to cut travel time by 17 hours and reduce the travel distance by 201 km.
