round 120 kilometres from Mumbai, the tourist hotspot of Igatpuri in Nashik district will soon have another attraction in the form of Maharashtra’s longest road tunnel measuring 7.78 kilometres.
The dual tunnel with lengths of 7.78 km and 7.74 km on the left and the right is now 60 per cent complete. The project is spread in Thane and Nashik districts, and brings good news for the people. Once operational, this tunnel will help significantly reduce vehicular congestion at the Kasara Ghat and help commuters save about one hour of travel time.
The project is named ‘Package 14’ and is a crucial part of the 16 packages that have been planned by the Maharashtra government for its ambitious Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway project named ‘Hindu Hurudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg’.
Afcons Infrastructure is at the helm of constructing this tunnel. Speaking to India Today TV, Shekhar Das, Project Manager, Afcons Infrastructure said the tunnel was necessitated owing to the level difference between Kasara and Igatpuri towns. “These two places have a level difference of nearly 350 metres. Plus, the area has a hilly terrain. Hence, a tunnel was proposed.”
He said, owing to the terrain, there are a number of hairpin bends in the Kasara Ghat area, which increase travel time significantly. Just crossing Kasara Ghat takes nearly an hour. “But once the tunnel is complete, this distance will be covered in just five minutes,” Das said.
The work at the crucial tunnel continued even during the peak of Covid-19 pandemic. Talking about the multiple challenges that the ground force had to go through, Satish Paretkar, Director and Business Unit head, Hydro and Underground work, Afcons Infrastructure said a substantial time during the pandemic involved spreading awareness among the nearby villagers.
“We managed well in both the first wave and second wave. Outsiders weren’t allowed to enter the area. We made the villagers aware of the present situation and then focussed on vaccinating our workers. Today, all our workers are vaccinated. Hence, the work is continuing with full force,” he said.
FEATURES OF THIS TUNNEL
- Main Tunnel: Left-hand side length: 7.78 km; Right-hand side length: 7.74 km.
- Shaded Tunnel: 35 m
- Cross-passage during emergency: 26 passages of 44.16 m each
- Toll plaza: Interchange at one location
- Work completed so far: 60 per cent (87 per cent of tunnelling complete; 85 per cent of substructure work done)
Meanwhile, once the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway is completed, commuters will be able to cover the distance of 701 km between Nagpur and Mumbai within eight hours. The travel time from Mumbai to Aurangabad will be four hours and from Aurangabad to Nagpur another four hours.
Officials say this expressway and its feeder network will promote overall tourist development connecting various tourist locations like Shirdi (Ahmednagar), Verul (Aurangabad), Lonar (Buldhana), Ajanta (Aurangabad), among others.
Apart from this, the expressway is also expected to boost economic activity in parts of Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.
Surjitt Sahani
