Mumbai–Pune Travel Time to Drop to 90 Minutes With New Expressway: Nitin Gadkari

Pune, 14th December 2025: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Saturday announced that the travel time between Mumbai and Pune will be reduced to just 90 minutes, bringing major relief to daily commuters and frequent travellers on one of Maharashtra’s busiest corridors.

Speaking at the Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur, Gadkari said that ongoing and upcoming highway infrastructure projects will significantly cut down the current travel time of two-and-a-half to three hours, which often increases further due to traffic congestion in the ghat sections. Once completed, the faster connectivity will make same-day travel between Mumbai and Pune feasible for professionals, businesspersons and government officials.

“The Mumbai-Pune journey will be possible in 90 minutes. This will change the way people commute between the two cities,” Gadkari said, adding that the improved road network will boost economic activity and ease daily travel for lakhs of commuters.

The Union Minister also announced that infrastructure projects worth ₹1.5 lakh crore have been sanctioned for Maharashtra in the coming year. Of this, projects worth around ₹50,000 crore will be executed through the state’s Public Works Department. He said these initiatives are aimed at creating faster, safer and more efficient transport systems across the state.

Highlighting a major upcoming project, Gadkari said a new greenfield express highway will be developed as a common link connecting the Mumbai–Pune Expressway. The proposed 130-kilometre corridor will run from Atal Setu to JNPT Chowk and extend up to the Pune–Shivapur junction, improving connectivity between Mumbai, Pune and southern Maharashtra.

Focusing on Pune district, Gadkari said projects worth nearly ₹50,000 crore have been sanctioned under his ministry and are expected to begin within the next three months. These include several elevated road projects aimed at easing traffic congestion in key industrial and residential zones.

Among the prominent projects is the four-tier transport corridor at Talegaon–Chakan–Shikrapur, with an estimated cost of ₹4,207 crore. The project will feature a ground-level road, two flyovers above it and a metro line at the top. Gadkari said the tendering process for this ambitious project has already been completed.

Another major elevated project announced is the Hadapsar to Yavat corridor, estimated to cost ₹5,262 crore. This project is expected to significantly improve traffic flow on the Pune–Solapur route.

Gadkari reiterated that the new infrastructure push will not only reduce travel time between major cities like Mumbai and Pune but also enhance road safety and fuel efficiency, making daily commuting faster and more comfortable for citizens.