Maharashtra set to begin work on Alibaug-Virar corridor

After the commissioning of Phase 1 of the 701-km Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg (Nagpur Expressway) on December 11, the Maharashtra government has turned its attention to the long-delayed Alibaug-Virar Multi Modal Corridor. The implementing authority for the project, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), is in talks with lenders including the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The state Cabinet last month gave approval in principle to seek loans from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) and other lenders. The MSRDC hopes to secure funding, issue tenders, give work orders, and begin work on the ground next year. The Multi Modal Corridor will be a high-speed expressway connecting Alibaug in Raigad district to Virar in Palghar district. The 127-km long road will traverse the three districts of Raigad, Thane and Palghar, which are part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. This greenfield road would augment connectivity to potential growth centres like Virar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Dombivali, Panvel, Taloja and Uran. It would also help divert the flow of cargo from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, which currently gets stuck in the internal roads of Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. The Multi Modal corridor would also be connected to major national highways. The corridor was conceptualised a decade ago and approved in 2012, but work never began on the ground. As of now, the project cost is estimated at Rs 555.64 billion (compared to Rs 125.54 billion estimated in 2012). See also: Highway construction fails to achieve FY23 targetNHIDCL inks MoU with NIT Manipur for highway tech