Thane And Bhiwandi To See Eased Traffic As Expressway Stretch Set For August 2026
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reviewed the progress of the Vadodara-Mumbai section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway on Sunday, announcing that the entire Maharashtra stretch is scheduled to open for traffic by August 31, 2026. The completion of this modern high-speed corridor is expected to significantly ease traffic bottlenecks on the Thane, Bhiwandi, and Ghodbunder routes, while drastically reducing travel times.
During his visit, Fadnavis inspected the ongoing works on the Vadodara-Mumbai section and held a review meeting with senior officials. He directed the executing agencies to maintain high construction standards and ensure the timely completion of the remaining works.
The Maharashtra portion of the project spans approximately 157 kilometres and is being developed at an estimated cost of Rs 24,000 crore. The state stretch has been divided into seven construction packages. Five of these packages are already completed and ready for traffic, while the remaining two packages are expected to be finished by August 2026.
Once fully operational, the expressway will reduce travel time between Vadodara and Mumbai from around eight hours to nearly four hours. In addition to easing congestion on key local routes in and around Thane, the project is designed to lower fuel consumption and facilitate quicker cargo movement.
Fadnavis highlighted the strategic importance of the expressway, noting that its direct connectivity with the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) will improve freight movement from northern India to the country's largest container port. This integration is expected to lower logistics costs, enhance supply chain efficiency, and boost economic growth across five states.
The larger Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is a 1,400-kilometre, eight-lane Greenfield access-controlled highway built by the Government of India at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 1 lakh crore. It connects Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. Fadnavis described the project as a landmark milestone that will drive long-term economic progress, exports, investments, and employment.
