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Bombay-Pune expressway acquires dimensions of reality, beauty

A herculean civil engineering feat is steadily taking shape between Pune and Bombay and promises to propel Maharashtra to fame.

The project is for India's first access-controlled expressway -- vehicles will not be allowed to enter or exit at will -- of international standards.

Work on the 94-km-long expressway is progressing along expected lines and would be thrown open to vehicular traffic on January 26, 2000.

Maharashtra's public works department minister Nitin Gadkari inspected the work in progress today and shared his views and details with mediapersons.

Till January 31, Rs 3.68 billion worth of work on the Rs 16 billion project had been executed. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has been entrusted with the job of seeing the project through.

The expressway promises to cut down the travel time between Pune and Bombay to 150 minutes.

The shape of the operational six-lane expressway has already begun to emerge. Eighty per cent of the digging and earthwork has been accomplished.

The expressway will be marked by five big bridges, 25 small bridges, 17 viaducts, 26 underpasses, 20 overpasses, two railway bridges, 31 pedesterian crossings, four interchanges (entry-exit points) and 81 culverts.

Besides, the Konkan Railways Corporation has been entrusted the job of creating five twin tunnels with an approximate total length of 5.72 km. The excavation work of the tunnels has been completed.

Use of human labour is minimum and employment of heavy machines substantial.

Plans are afoot to transform the expressway, which runs along the foothills of the Sahayadris, into a scenic marvel.

''You will not find it necessary to visit Switzerland,'' beams a MSRDC official. There are plans to adopt the hills and undertake a massive afforestation programme that would transform the now arid surroundings into a green wonder, he said.

Vehicles can speed along at 120 kmph. A separate lane has been earmarked for parking of vehicles that breakdown. Talk phones will be located along the stretch so that control room can be contacted for assistance in case of breakdowns.

Users will have to pay a toll to the MSRDC which has been entitled to collect toll for 30 years in order to recoup the costs. The rate of the toll will vary according to the type of the vehicle and length of travel.

For trucks using the entire length of the expressway, the toll would be Rs 190 with a minimum toll of Rs 100. The minimum toll for buses will be Rs 150 and the maximum would be Rs 270. Cars will have to pay a minimum toll of Rs 50 and a maximum of Rs 80.

Work on the expressway is being carried out in four sections with each section being allotted to a private contractor on build, operate and transfer basis.

Once completed, the expressway is expected to drastically reduce the number of accidents witnessed on the existing Pune-Bombay road.

UNI

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Maharashtra