Cabinet clears ₹19,142-cr Nashik-Akkalkot highway corridor in Maharashtra

The Cabinet has approved a Rs 19,142-crore, six-lane greenfield Nashik-Akkalkot highway in Maharashtra under BOT mode, aimed at cutting travel time by 17 hours and distance by 201 km

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the construction of a six-lane greenfield highway corridor from Nashik to Akkalkot in Maharashtra in build, operate, transfer mode at a cost of ₹19,142 crore. 

The project to be constructed over 374 km will provide connectivity to the regional cities such as Nashik, Ahilyanagar and Solapur. “This infrastructure is a significant step to facilitate integrated transport infrastructure development under the PM Gatishakti National Master Plan,” the cabinet said in a statement. 

The greenfield corridor from Nashik to Akkalkot will be connected to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Vadhavan port interchange, Agra-Mumbai corridor at Nashik and Samruddhi Mahamarg at Pangri near Nashik. The proposed corridor will provide connectivity from west coast to east coast, according to the statement.

 

“The primary purpose of the proposed access-controlled six-lane greenfield project corridor is to improve travel efficiency and is expected to reduce travel time by 17 hours and reduce the travel distance by 201 kilometre,” the cabinet said. 

The corridor will help improve logistics efficiency for freight originating and terminating at major National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation nodes of Kopparthy and Orvakal. It is expected to enhance the basic infrastructure in the region, contributing to the economic development of Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Dharashiv, and Solapur districts. 

In a related development, the Union Cabinet also approved the widening and strengthening of an existing corridor on National Highway 326 in Odisha on engineering, procurement and construction mode. 

The upgradation project, to be implemented at a cost of ₹1,526.21 crore, is expected to make travel faster, safer, and more reliable, resulting in overall development of southern Odisha, including Gajapati, Rayagada, and Koraput districts.