Pune: PMRDA Studies 45-km Subterranean Road Grid Linking Pune’s Major Highways; Rs 20,000-Crore Project Under Review
Pune, 17th December 2025: In an ambitious bid to tackle worsening traffic congestion across Pune and its fast-growing metropolitan belt, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has initiated a feasibility assessment for a 45-kilometre underground road network that would interlink the district’s four principal highways. The proposed project, with an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore, is being examined as a long-term mobility solution for the region.
A consultant appointed by PMRDA has submitted a preliminary design and draft feasibility report, focusing on the proposed Yerwada–Katraj twin tunnel, which forms a crucial segment of the underground corridor system. The study follows extensive technical surveys conducted over the past few months.
According to officials, the proposal includes underground road stretches beneath Taljai and Vetal hills, areas already earmarked for infrastructure development in the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Development Plan. Additional tunnel corridors have been suggested at Swargate, Jagtap Dairy and Katraj, with planners asserting that these alignments could significantly ease surface-level congestion in both core city areas and suburban zones.
The concept plan features a six-lane subterranean express corridor designed to connect the Pune–Mumbai, Pune–Satara, Pune–Solapur, and Pune–Ahilyanagar highways, enabling uninterrupted cross-city movement without burdening existing arterial roads.
Officials clarified that the underground roads would be constructed at an estimated depth of around 30 metres, ensuring no conflict with existing or planned Metro rail corridors. The project has been structured into three phases, allowing for phased implementation depending on approvals and funding availability.
Once PMRDA finalises its internal assessment, the proposal will be submitted to the state government for policy approval and financial sanction.
The underground road initiative is being evaluated alongside PMRDA’s broader infrastructure drive, under which 220 projects across the Pune Metropolitan Region have been identified. Last week, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis approved funding of ₹32,523 crore for various development works in the region.
In parallel, PMRDA has also proposed drafting a time-bound metropolitan structural plan, factoring in long-term population growth, urban sprawl and future transport demand.
Key Proposed Underground Corridors
Yerwada–Katraj
Shivajinagar–Yerwada
Jagtap Dairy–Kothrud
Urban planning experts believe that if environmental clearances, technical approvals and financial backing are secured, the underground road network could become a game-changer for Pune’s mobility challenges, offering sustainable congestion relief for decades to come.
