Cabinet clears ₹19,142-crore Nashik–Solapur corridor; to link Delhi–Mumbai Expressway with Chennai route

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the construction of a 374-km, six-lane greenfield access-controlled Nashik–Solapur–Akkalkot corridor in Maharashtra at a cost of ₹19,142 crore.

"The section approved today runs from Nashik to Akkalkot. Beyond this, the corridor will further extend towards Kurnool, Kadapa and Chennai. What has been approved today is the Nashik–Solapur corridor,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters. The project will be developed on a build-operate-transfer basis, an official release said.

The corridor will improve connectivity to Nashik, Ahilyanagar and Solapur, and will link onward to Kurnool.

The proposed corridor will provide connectivity from west coast to east coast.

It will connect with the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway near the Vadhawan port interchange, the Agra–Mumbai corridor at Nashik near NH-60 (Adegaon), and the Samruddhi Mahamarg at Pangri near Nashik.

From the Chennai port side, four-lane corridors are already under development from Chennai to Hasapur on the Maharashtra border via Thiruvallur, Renigunta, Kadappa and Kurnool, covering about 700 km, the release said.

The access-controlled corridor is expected to improve travel efficiency by shortening the distance by 201 km.

The project will also improve logistics efficiency for freight linked to major National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation nodes at Kopparthy and Orvakal.

A section of the corridor between Nashik and Talegaon Dighe will also meet the requirement for the proposed Pune–Nashik Expressway, identified by NICDC and being taken up by the Maharashtra government.

The six-lane corridor will support average vehicular speeds of 60 kmph with a design speed of 100 kmph.

The project is expected to boost economic development in Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Dharashiv and Solapur districts, the release said.

It will generate around 251.06 lakh man-days of direct employment and 313.83 lakh man-days of indirect employment, besides creating additional jobs through increased economic activity along the corridor.