To tackle the rising traffic congestion in Pune and its surrounding areas, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has written to Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, urging the immediate widening of three key national highways—National Highway (NH) 60 (Nashik Phata to Khed), NH 65 (Hadapsar to Yavat), and NH 548D (Talegaon–Chakan–Shikrapur).

In his letter, Pawar emphasised that growing urbanisation and industrial activity have significantly intensified traffic pressure in Pune and its metropolitan region. He proposed the following upgrades: NH-60 (currently 4-lane) should be widened to 6 lanes, NH-65 (currently 4-lane) should also be expanded to 6 lanes, and
NH-548D (currently 2-lane) requires widening to 4 lanes.

These highways pass through regions with educational institutes, industrial belts, residential areas, hospitals, petroleum and automobile industries, and major commercial centres—all contributing to heavier vehicular traffic and regular traffic jams. He also expressed concern over commuter safety due to persistent bottlenecks.