The Union Cabinet has approved a six-lane, access-controlled 30-km highway connecting Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPA) to the Mumbai-Pune and Mumbai-Goa highways. The project will require diverting over 24 hectares of forest land and cutting 11,500 trees. It will also pass through 18.27 hectares of water bodies, 1.7 hectares of wetlands, and the eco-sensitive Karanja Creek, according to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s (MOEFCC) Parivesh portal.
The proposed highway will span 175.91 hectares, including 70 hectares of agricultural land. Developed on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis, the project is estimated to cost Rs 4,500.62 crore. Land acquisition is expected to be completed by December 2025, with construction finishing within two years. NHAI stated that they have selected an alignment that minimizes tree-cutting and will implement compensatory afforestation.
Reducing Traffic Congestion
Currently, vehicles from JNPA take 2-3 hours to reach the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) due to congestion in urban areas like Palaspe Phata, D-Point, Kalamboli Junction, and Panvel. Traffic is expected to worsen with the Navi Mumbai Airport’s expected launch in mid-2025. The new highway aims to ease congestion and improve connectivity.
The project received final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. NHAI claims the highway will enhance regional development, lower fuel consumption, and boost local employment and trade.
Environmental Concerns
To address ecological concerns, MOEFCC has directed NHAI to collaborate with institutes like the Zoological Survey of India for a wildlife conservation plan. The plan must protect mangroves and support their restoration.
As compensatory afforestation, NHAI will plant 32,000 native trees across 24.5 hectares and establish a 10-meter-wide greenbelt. However, environmentalists remain skeptical.
