Pune: The renovation work on the Pune-Satara highway, one of the most congested highways in Western Maharashtra, has been completed, promising safer and smoother travel. This project, undertaken by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), has been completed and is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion on this route.
What exactly has changed?
In this project, implemented in collaboration with M. D. Infra company, the main road has been renovated, and service roads in many places have been widened from two lanes to three lanes.
According to NHAI, the Pune-Satara highway has a total of 120 km of service roads, of which 40 km have been widened. These service roads have now been widened to 10.5 meters, and it appears that traffic congestion is decreasing during peak hours.
These service roads are now three-lane. These service roads will allow local and two-wheeler traffic to be diverted from the main highway, thus reducing the strain on the main road. As a result, it will help in resolving the traffic congestion problem.
Explaining the objective of the project, Sanjay Kadam, Project Director of NHAI Pune, said, “Our main objective was to address the frequent traffic congestion and accident-prone spots on the Pune-Satara highway. The renovation of the main road and the addition of a third lane to the service road have created a more efficient and safer transportation system for light and heavy vehicles. The increased road width directly helps in reducing the number of accidents and provides passengers with a smooth travel experience.”
Two-wheeler traffic diverted
Due to the widening, the traffic of smaller vehicles and two-wheelers has been diverted to the service roads, which has reduced both congestion and accidents on the highway. Traffic appears to be flowing smoothly in the morning and evening, providing great relief to motorists travelling on the Pune-Satara route.
Meanwhile, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has approved the detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed new expressway between Pune and Mumbai. This route is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion on the existing Mumbai-Pune expressway and also cut down travel time to approximately 90 minutes.
