The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has commenced the development of a second Pune-Mumbai Expressway, which will run parallel to the existing corridor. This proposed project is anticipated to shorten the travel time between the two cities to approximately 90 minutes.
NHAI has solicited bids for the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) and for conducting a feasibility study for the estimated ₹15,000-crore initiative. The planned 130-km access-controlled expressway will start at Chowk in Raigad district and will connect to the JNPT (Pagote)-Chowk highway, eventually extending to Shivre village near Bhor, where it will link with the Pune Ring Road.
This corridor will also facilitate direct access between Pune and the Atal Setu, thereby enhancing connectivity to Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port. The objective of the project is to mitigate the increasing traffic congestion, frequent accidents, and the growing vehicular load on the current Pune-Mumbai Expressway.
Officials have indicated that the new route is expected to alleviate the strain on the existing corridor while bolstering connectivity among significant industrial and logistics centers in western Maharashtra. As per officials, the proposed eight-lane greenfield corridor will be designed to accommodate nearly three lakh vehicles daily, significantly enhancing freight movement between Pune, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, JNPT Port, and major industrial corridors.
This proposal follows an announcement made by Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari in December 2025, during which he revealed plans for a parallel Pune-Mumbai Expressway as part of a broader infrastructure initiative in Maharashtra. Gadkari stated that the new expressway would stretch from the Atal Setu-JNPA area to Pune’s Shivare Junction, reducing the travel time between Pune and Mumbai to just one-and-a-half hours.
Gadkari stated that the new expressway would connect the Atal Setu-JNPA area to Pune’s Shivare Junction, thereby reducing the travel time between Pune and Mumbai to merely one-and-a-half hours. “The initial phase from Pagote near JNPA to Chowk has already been approved. Upon completion of the entire project, the journey from Pune to Mumbai can be accomplished in 90 minutes, while travel between Pune, Mumbai, and Bengaluru could be shortened to approximately five-and-a-half hours,” Gadkari remarked.
The minister also revealed plans for a proposed Pune-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar greenfield expressway, which is estimated to cost ₹16,318 crore and is anticipated to cut travel time between the two cities to around two hours. This project will be executed in phases, with one route passing through Ahilyanagar and another through Shikrapur and Beed district.
In addition, Pune is poised to benefit from several significant highway projects, including the ₹4,207-crore Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur elevated corridor, which will feature a multi-level transport structure that includes a surface road, two flyovers, and a Metro line. NHAI official Sanjay Kadam stated, “The proposed corridor will run parallel to the existing expressway and will be part of the planned Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway network.”
