The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has approved a Rs 67.48 billion (bn) elevated highway to ease congestion between Thane and Mumbai by linking the Samruddhi Expressway to the city outskirts. The project, which the authority said will cover construction, land acquisition and environmental mitigation, is intended to provide a seamless transition for commuters exiting the high-speed Samruddhi route into the Mumbai metropolitan area. Approval follows a detailed project report completed in September 2025 and strategic revisions recommended by senior state officials. The six-lane, high-speed corridor will extend for 21.35 kilometres with an elevated section of 12.55 kilometres and a greenfield stretch of eight point eight kilometres. The alignment will link the Anandnagar-Saket elevated road in Thane to the Rajnoli Junction and will veer from Sonale village into the median of the Mumbai-Nashik Highway before reaching Karvali and Aamne. The design is intended to bypass congested local roads and to segregate long-distance freight from local traffic. Infrastructure provisions include one major bridge, three minor bridges, a dedicated railway overbridge, two flyovers and six vehicular underpasses to ensure uninterrupted flow. The authority requires 127 hectares of land, of which 116.38 hectares is private, eight point five nine hectares is government land and two point nine hectares is forest area. A tiered tolling proposal for the stretch between the Kharegaon Toll Plaza and the Samruddhi Mahamarg sets charges at Rs 100 for light motor vehicles, Rs 160 for small buses, Rs 340 for standard buses and trucks and Rs 645 for large multi-axle vehicles, with a five per cent annual hike proposed. Planners expect the corridor to act as the missing link that will extend the benefits of the Samruddhi Mahamarg into the heart of the Mumbai metropolitan region by bypassing warehouse-clogged roads in Bhiwandi and Anjur. The authority has framed the project as a permanent engineering solution to persistent freight congestion that has persisted despite round-the-clock traffic management. The scheme is projected to reduce commute times for thousands of daily travellers and to improve regional connectivity once construction and land acquisition proceed.