Vishala tunnel on the Samruddhi expressway
The move expected to improve access to the high-speed corridor and ease travel ahead of the 2027 Simhastha Kumbh Mela. “Guardian minister Girish Mahajan had been pursuing the demand for a connector so that frequent travellers can access Samruddhi more conveniently towards Mumbai and Nagpur.
PWD chief engineer Arundhati Sharma said govt aims to make the interchange operational before the Kumbh Mela. Chief minister has given in-principle approval,” she said. Officials said the new Pandhurli connector will be just 28km from Nashik city, offering a more direct entry to the expressway. “We are also upgrading the existing Nashik-Pandhurli road under a separate project,” a senior PWD officer said. It will be expanded to four lanes in due course after acquiring additional land,” the officer said. Officials said the detailed project report (DPR) is being prepared and final state approval will be sought shortly, with the project expected to play a key role in handling pilgrim and tourist traffic during the Kumbh as well as improving long-term regional connectivity.
Nashik : Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has given in-principle approval for a new connector at Pandhurli linking Nashik directly with the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi expressway, ensuring faster travel for Nashikites to their destinations and vice versa.
“To begin with, we will build a two-lane road to make ingress and egress operational before the Simhastha Kumbh Mela.