Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday, 18 July 2026, performed the ground-breaking ceremony for three major elevated highway projects in Pune district, Maharashtra, alongside Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, and several state ministers and elected representatives.

Context

The three projects — the Pune–Shirur Elevated Expressway on NH 753F, the Talegaon–Chakan–Shikrapur Highway on NH 548D, and the Hadapsar–Yavat Elevated Highway on NH 65 — were inaugurated at a combined ceremony attended by Pune Mayor Manjusha Nagpure, Pimpri-Chinchwad Mayor Ravi Landge, members of parliament, legislators, and district officials. Gadkari described the projects as a 'modern transport corridor built keeping in view the growing future traffic needs' (भविष्यातील वाहतुकीच्या वाढत्या गरजा लक्षात घेऊन उभारला जात असलेला आधुनिक वाहतूक कॉरिडॉर).

Policy Backdrop

The Pune–Shirur Elevated Expressway is the first phase of the broader Pune–Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Greenfield Six-Lane Expressway, to be developed by the Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSIDC). The 53.4 km elevated section carries a project outlay of Rs 7,515 crore and proposes a 6-lane elevated road with a parallel 4-lane at-grade highway beneath it; a 7 km metro corridor is planned on its second tier. The Talegaon–Chakan–Shikrapur project spans 53.2 km at a cost of Rs 5,923 crore, featuring 26.3 km of 4-lane elevated road alongside a 4-lane at-grade highway. The Hadapsar–Yavat corridor covers 31.5 km at Rs 5,262.36 crore, with a 25 km, 6-lane elevated section and a proposed 17.70 km metro route on its second tier. All three projects will be executed on a DFBOT (Design-Finance-Build-Operate-Transfer) basis, reflecting the government's reliance on private-sector financing for large infrastructure delivery.

The projects fit within the framework of PM Gati Shakti, the national master plan unveiled in 2021 to integrate roads, metro, and multimodal infrastructure, and the Bharatmala Pariyojana launched in 2015 to construct and upgrade national highway corridors across India. Gadkari credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'visionary leadership' (दूरदर्शी नेतृत्व) for enabling stronger connectivity and a faster transport network in Maharashtra.

Stakeholders and Impact

Pune commuters stand to benefit most directly: the elevated alignments are designed to reduce congestion on existing roads and cut travel time between Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar — the former Aurangabad — a key city in the Marathwada region. The Talegaon, Chakan, and Shikrapur industrial belt, home to automobile manufacturers and ancillary units, is a primary beneficiary of the NH 548D project, which promises 'a radical change in the transport system' (वाहतूक व्यवस्थेत अमूलाग्र बदल) for the rapidly expanding zone. The second-tier metro integrations on the Pune–Shirur and Hadapsar–Yavat corridors signal an intent toward multimodal urban mobility that could reduce private vehicle dependency over time.

What's Next

With ground-breaking ceremonies now complete, attention will shift to the award of DFBOT contracts and the start of detailed engineering work. The remaining phases of the Pune–Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Greenfield Expressway beyond Shirur Bypass are yet to be taken up, and their timelines will be closely watched by industry and commuters alike. The integration of metro corridors on elevated road tiers is a relatively new model in India, making these Pune projects a test case for multimodal infrastructure delivery at scale.