New highways between Kolhapur and Sangli approved for INR 1,130 crore

Around INR 1,130 crore has been authorised by the central government to build major highways along a 62-km stretch between Kolhapur and Sangli districts. Nitin Gadkari, the federal minister of transportation and highways, tweeted that the ministry's finance committee had authorised the project's funding. One of the two significant road portions is the 41 km between Peth Naka and Sangli city. The four laning of the road will cost INR 881 crore to complete. The request to widen the road to four lanes has been pending for the past six years. The National Highway Authority of India now controls the route, which connects Pune-Bengaluru National Highway-48 to Sangli city and is classified as NH 166 H. The four lanes will reduce traffic and help prevent accidents. It is extremely important economically and is the only significant road that connects Sangli city to NH-48. On the other hand, INR 249 crore has been approved for two road lengths that travel across Karul Ghat and connect Kolhapur and Sindhudurg. The ghat receives a lot of rain during the monsoon, and the frequent road damage disrupts traffic for days. The influx of thousands of goods transport vehicles going through the ghat portion will be handled by the new two-lane concrete road. The ghat is part of NH 166 G, which will also make it easier for traffic to go between Sindhudurg and NH 166 while passing through Kolhapur and assisting travellers from Sangli and Satara who are trying to get to south Konkan and then Goa.