India, March 20 -- The union cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of a 29-km-long six-lane expressway from Pagote in the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority area to Chouk at the junction of the old Mumbai-Pune highway and Karjat road, while also linking the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Mumbai-Goa national highway (NH-66).

The expressway, which will cost over Rs.4,500 crore, is designed to improve logistics efficiency by connecting JNPA with the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. Two tunnels passing through the Sahayadri mountain range will allow for safe and fast movement of commercial vehicles, including heavy trucks, compared with the current ghat roads.

The project is in line with the PM GatiShakti national master pl...