Mumbai, Feb. 2 -- Motorists on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway can expect some relief from chronic traffic congestion as road-widening work between Thane and Vadape nears completion. Travel time to and from the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway is also likely to reduce once the project is fully operational. Motorists along the route have been facing severe traffic snarls since June 2021, when the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) began widening the highway from four lanes to eight lanes. Of the 28.80-km stretch between Majiwada and Vadape, 19.27 km (81%) of the main highway has been widened. An 18.35-km-long service road has also been added of which 16.10 km (88%) is ready. The remaining stretches are scheduled to be complete by March-end, in line with the overall project deadline. As part of the project, four bridges are being constructed along the corridor: the Vadape flyover (320 metres), Pimpalner railway bridge (84 metres), Kasheli creek bridge (820 metres) and Kalwa creek bridge (200 metres). The Kalwa creek bridge is expected to open to traffic shortly, while the Kasheli creek bridge and Vadape flyover are likely to be operational within a fortnight. "The railway bridge will take another couple of months and should be ready by March," said an MSRDC official. The project also includes 10 underpasses at Yewai, Walshind, Sonale, Saravali, Pimplas, Ovali, Mothagaon, Diva Village, Diva and Kharegaon. While the Diva Village and Diva underpasses are expected to be completed by February-end, work on the remaining eight is slated for completion in March. A 38-lane toll plaza is planned at Kharegaon to recover the project cost of Rs.1,182.87 crore. The toll plaza will be operated by MEP Infrastructure Developers. Currently, motorists take nearly two hours to traverse the 28.80-km stretch due to construction-related bottlenecks. Heavy vehicle movement to and from Bhiwandi's warehousing hub further worsens traffic, increasing commute times for residents of satellite towns in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Vehicles heading to or from the Samruddhi Expressway also frequently get caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic. "Road widening was essential to increase carrying capacity of this highway, otherwise it would have been a troubled road in the future years, when the traffic on Mumbai - Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway will incrementally increase. As work is coming to near completion, a major augmentation exercise will be through for the decades to come," the official told Hindustan Times....