Samruddhi Mahamarg fully operational: 701km expressway cuts Nagpur-Mumbai travel time to 8 hours, includes 5 tunnels (see pics)

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, accompanied by deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, inaugurated the final 76-km stretch between Igatpuri and Aamne, Thane on Thursday. This marks the completion of the entire 701 km Hinduhrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg connecting Nagpur and Mumbai.

With the expressway now fully operational, travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai has been cut from 16 hours to just 8. The entire stretch is now open for vehicular traffic.

The Igatpuri to Kasara distance will now take just 8 minutes. This final phase includes five tunnels, one of which is 8 km long—the longest on the expressway—located in Nashik district starting from Igatpuri.

Before the inauguration, the CM and both Deputy CMs drove through the new tunnel. Fadnavis called the expressway "Maharashtra’s path to prosperity – paved and delivered!"

Fadnavis described the project as a completed vision enhancing connectivity and sustainable growth. He called it “Maharashtra’s Prosperity Lifeline” and hailed it as a historic achievement in infrastructure.

The Chief Minister’s Office posted on X, celebrating the road as a symbol of progress. It described the drive as the realization of a long-standing dream, crediting Fadnavis as the project’s visionary.

Commenting humorously on all three top leaders travelling together, Fadnavis said, “Our car is working fine. We three work in three shifts,” alluding to the current political alliance.

Fadnavis announced that the next focus will be on building the Shaktipeeth Mahamarg to boost economic development in the Marathwada region. Work on this new expressway will begin soon.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) completed the ?55,335 crore, six-lane, access-controlled expressway in phases. Passing through 10 districts, 26 talukas, and 392 villages, the project now links 12 districts with the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority.