The Samruddhi Mahamarg from Nagpur to Mumbai is completed! A day that will go down in Maharashtra history in gilded letters, as the final section of the Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, which runs from Igatpuri (Nashik) to Amane (Thane), is being opened to traffic today (Thursday, June 5, 2025). Thus, the visionary leader’s long-cherished dream has come true, as the 701-kilometer Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg is ready, end-to-end. The last part of this glorious, game-changer highway is opening today, precisely ten years after Infra Man Devendra Fadnavis’ vision became the state’s goal in 2015.
Important dates in the making of the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway
- July 31, 2015: The announcement was made in the Legislative Assembly about the construction of a Nagpur-Mumbai expressway.
- December 18, 2018: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Samruddhi Highway.
- December 20, 2019: Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Highway named ‘Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Highway.’
- December 11, 2022: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Nagpur to Shirdi (520 km) section.
- May 26, 2023: The Shirdi to Bharvir stretch (80 km) in the second phase was inaugurated by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
- March 4, 2024: Bharvir to Igatpuri (25 km) section opened to traffic.
- June 5, 2025: Igatpuri (Nashik) to Aamne (Thane), last phase inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The desire was sown for an expressway between Nagpur and Mumbai
Vidarbha and Marathwada were considered backward regions compared to western Maharashtra. In 2000, Devendra Fadnavis, then a young MLA from Nagpur, dreamed of a fast, safe, and multi-purpose highway directly connecting Nagpur to Mumbai. Later, the dream transformed into a conviction in Infra man Devendra Fadnavis that this highway would not only mean communication but also an economic and industrial turnaround in Nagpur and the rest of the state. If Vidarbha and Marathwada are to be developed, agricultural and various other products from these regions should reach the big markets directly and in the shortest possible time. Also, advanced technologies from the developed regions should be heading to Vidarbha and Marathwada. The super expressway of today is a full-grown tree, seeded back then in his mind.
Using the opportunity and showing resolve to accomplish his dream
Devendra Fadnavis got the opportunity to turn his dream of building a Nagpur-to-Mumbai expressway into a reality in 2014 when the Bharatiya Janata Party, under his leadership as the state president, won the 2014 assembly election. Winning 122 seats for his party, Devendra Fadnavis took the oath as the new Chief Minister of the state. Once settled down, he took some time to do the groundwork regarding the viability and financing of the project and the likely obstacles before taking the first step to fulfill his dream. On July 31, 2015, the ‘Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway’ was announced in the legislature. While land acquisition was considered a difficult proposition, and some stiff opposition did crop up in some districts, it was all resolved peacefully and within expected dates, using the ‘land pooling policy’ and amending the Land Acquisition Act of 2013. The farmers who sold their lands were paid at the ready reckoner rates.
The cost of the project was also revised a few times. According to the administrative cost audit in June 2018, the project cost was increased from Rs. 46,000 crore to Rs. 49,247 crore. However, after the tender process, the project cost was reviewed once again, and the revised cost of the project in October 2018 was approved at Rs 55,335.32 crore. The construction of the entire route was divided into 16 packages and awarded to 13 renowned companies. As the construction progressed, the portions of the highway were opened to the public in three phases. And today, the fourth and final phase of the Nagpur to Mumbai Samruddhi Highway has been opened to the public, fulfilling a long-cherished dream of a great leader.
Samruddhi Highway – An Economic Corridor
Samruddhi Highway is not just a road but a corridor of opportunities for the people of 24 out of the 36 districts of the state to grab and achieve progress in their lives. Aesthetically beautiful, this highway has 8 tunnels, 36 toll plazas, and over 400 small and large bridges and flyovers to take one straight from the Mihan in Nagpur to the JNPT in Mumbai, enabling farmers to access large markets for their produce, developing agricultural prosperity centers and new industrial estates, generating employment for local youth to stop migration to big cities, and more. No doubt that this highway is going to take Maharashtra to a new level.
The grit to fulfill his vision of the Samruddhi Highway and his drive for other crucial infrastructure projects have given Devendra Fadnavis a new identity, the Infra Man, as the public addresses him. His resolve to manifest his grand vision, overcoming numerous challenges, has presented the state with a hugely impactful highway that will bring new waves of development and disperse the benefits to all corners – the way he dreamed it 25 years ago.
Related articles: