KALYAN: A new high-speed road link could one day cut the journey from the Mumbai region to Latur in Marathwada by more than half. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has reportedly prepared a detailed project report (DPR) for a 450-km Kalyan–Latur Expressway, a six-lane, access-controlled greenfield corridor starting in Kalyan in Thane district.
At present, road travel between Mumbai and Latur takes 10 to 12 hours. If the expressway is built, the Kalyan–Latur trip could come down to about five hours.
8-km Tunnel Through Malshej Ghat
The most striking feature of the plan is an 8-km tunnel through the hilly Malshej Ghat section, which would let vehicles avoid the steep, winding ghat road. The project also proposes 17 interchanges to connect nearby cities, districts and highways.
According to the preliminary alignment, the corridor would pass through Thane, Kalyan, Malshej Ghat, the Pune region, Parner, Ahilyanagar, Beed and Dharashiv before reaching Latur.
Link to Five Major Expressways
The new road is planned to connect with five major expressways:
- Delhi–Mumbai Expressway
- Nagpur–Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway
- Surat–Chennai Expressway
- Virar–Alibaug Multimodal Corridor
- Pune–Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Expressway
The project is intended to strengthen links between the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Marathwada.
Still a Long Road Ahead
The expressway is still at the planning stage. The final alignment, forest clearances, land acquisition and funding have yet to be settled, and no construction timeline has been announced.