The centre has cleared the construction of a six-lane elevated corridor over the Panchaganga river near Kolhapur, with approval granted for Rs 9,137 million (mn).

The project comprises a three point five seven eight kilometre (km) long pillar bridge on the Kagal–Satara stretch of National Highway 48 and has been authorised by the Union Highway Minister. The corridor is designed to maintain traffic flow along the busy Pune–Bengaluru highway segment and into Kolhapur city.

The elevated alignment has been planned to avert disruptions caused by recurring floods in the river basin and to reduce delays for long distance freight and passenger movement. It will stand as a pillar supported structure to provide clearance over flood plains and to improve resilience of the route. The design aims to facilitate uninterrupted transit without grade level interference and to streamline connectivity between local and intercity traffic.

The approval follows technical reviews and alignment studies and is presented as part of ongoing upgrades on National Highway 48 to support higher capacity flows. Authorities have indicated that the scheme will reduce congestion on approaches to Kolhapur during monsoon seasons and will shorten travel times for commuters and commercial operators. The funding provision has been allocated to ensure timely tendering and execution under central infrastructure programmes.