MUMBAI, June 6 -- "A decade-old dream has been realised. It's not just a road but a corridor of prosperity for Maharashtra," said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, while inaugurating the Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway's final stretch on Thursday. Throwing open the 76-km stretch between Igatpuri in Nashik and Amane in Thane, Fadnavis said the expressway would halve travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur, to just eight hours. He said the 701-km-long road corridor, officially called the 'Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg', would soon be connected with one of the state's most ambitious mega-projects - the Vadhavan Port being built in Palghar district. The expressway is already connected to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA). "As many as 24 districts are connected to JNPA; they will soon be connected with the new Vadhavan Port and development will be taken to every corner of Maharashtra," Fadnavis declared. Fadnavis said the expressway was an engineering marvel and has all the features of a "smart road". He added, "It has 100 structures for smooth movement of wildlife. Of these, eight are overpasses and 92 underpasses. The entire stretch comprises 32 major bridges, 317 small bridges, 69 overpasses and 219 underpasses, giving right of way to all the villages it passes through." It also has seven tunnels. The last one is 7.8-km long, in Igatpuri, the widest tunnel in the country. "For pedestrians, we have constructed 180 overpasses and 224 underpasses, in addition to 25 interchanges for better connectivity," he added. Fadnavis mentioned other features such as its advanced fire-proof system, parallel tunnels for relief and rescue operations, water recharge facilities every 500m, the capacity to generate 200 MW of solar power, an electronic toll system, and a gas pipeline on the entire 701km stretch which can be connected with industries of all 24 districts. The first phase of the expressway, from Nagpur to Shirdi, was inaugurated by prime minister Narendra Modi in 2022. The second phase, from Shirdi to Bharvir (Nashik), was inaugurated in 2023 by then chief minister Eknath Shinde, while third phase - from Bharvir to Igatpuri - was inaugurated in 2024 by Dada Bhuse, then MSRDC minister. Fadnavis said work on the proposed 802-km Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway would start soon. "It will also be an access-control road, but it will change the economic picture of Marathwada. I am hoping to start work on the project soon." The state is powering ahead with this expressway despite opposition from farmers in the 12 districts the project will pass through. In the run-up to the assembly elections, then chief minister Eknath Shinde said the government would not impose the project on the farmers. However, after returning to power, the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government said it is going ahead with the project....