Pune: The ambitious Rs4,200crore Talegaon–Chakan–Shikrapur highway project has moved into the implementation stage finally, nearly five months after the state cabinet’s approval. Tenders have been floated and land acquisition will commence once the agency is finalised.Maharashtra State Industrial Development Corporation (MSIDC) is implementing the project for which 56 hectares of land would be required. “Once the agency is finalised, land acquisition across villages in Maval and Khed talukas will take about six months. The actual construction will follow and is expected to take four years. The project will be ready only by 2030,” a senior MSIDC official told TOI.The 53.2km highway would be developed to decongest traffic and strengthen connectivity across Pune’s rapidly expanding industrial belt. The design includes a four-lane elevated and parallel at-grade road from Talegaon to Chakan and a six-lane stretch from Chakan to Shikrapur.The corridor would link National Highway 48 (Mumbai–Pune) and National Highway 753 (Pune–Sambhajinagar), offering an alternative route for both industrial and commuter traffic outside Pune city.Land acquisition would cover accident-prone stretches and narrow sections in Malwadi, Indori Bypass, Mahalunge, Khalumbre and Bahul, officials said. Currently, the existing road is a two-lane carriageway carrying over 40,800 passenger car units (PCUs) daily. It is a major bottleneck for freight and commuter traffic in the MIDC belt.Officials said the upgraded highway is expected to improve freight movement significantly and reduce congestion for industries in Talegaon, Chakan and Shikrapur.The project would be executed under build-operate-transfer model, with the selected developer funding construction, collecting toll and maintaining the road under a 30-year concession agreement.The Talegaon–Chakan–Shikrapur corridor is one of the two priority road upgrades for Pune district — the other being the Pune–Shirur highway. Officials said the project would also provide improved access to the Pune–Mumbai Expressway, national highways and state roads, while enabling long-term industrial expansion in the region.HEAD: 59.8cr approved to repair NH 548DEven as the new project is being rolled out, the state govt approved Rs59.8 crore for repairs and widening of the existing Talegaon–Chakan–Shikrapur National Highway (NH 548D). Public works minister Shivendrasinhraje Bhonsale said the works would reduce congestion, avert accident risks and provide relief to industries until the new highway was ready. The route, earlier part of the State Road Development Plan 2001–21, was later upgraded to NH 548D by the Union ministry of road transport and highways and transferred from NHAI to MSIDC. Heavy rains left the road badly damaged, worsening congestion and safety issues. Local representatives have been pressing for urgent repairs. The proposal was fast-tracked after a meeting in Pune between officials and people’s representatives on July 30, leading to the sanction of the interim fund.
