First phase of Mumbai-Nagpur expressway to open for public on May 2

The first phase of the MumbaiNagpur Samruddhi Expressway mdash Nagpur to Shelu Bazar mdash which is 210 km will be opened to the public on May 2 Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde reviewed the first phase of the green highway at Nagpur on Friday Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will inaugurate it on May 2The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation MSRDC is carrying out the project of the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg at a cost of Rs 55000 croreldquoWe are planning to complete the project before December 2023 As this is an expressway we are ensuring safety for commuters We will have a Quick Response Team in which para medical staff will be deployed They will help injured commuters in accidents We will also develop a helipad for an air ambulancerdquo Shinde said He said the Quick Response Team will be deployed even before the expressway inauguration The 701 km expressway will be the first green highway in the country with an air ambulanceRural areas to changeShinde said the expressway will change the future of a rural and semi urban area It will connect them to mega cities and with the Jawaharlal Nehru port ldquoAs per MSRDCrsquos plan 18 new cities will be developed along with the expressway We are working on detailed projects of cities Also MSRDC will plant more than 11 lakh trees and 22 lakh shrubs along the roadrdquo Shinde saidThe NagpurMumbai super communication expressway named the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray PicSameer MarkandeThis expressway project will connect 10 districts of the state and pass through forests ldquoMSRDC has made provisions for wild animals in the form of three subways and three bridges for them The work on one bridge is completed while the work is going on on the other twordquo Shinde addedGreenery along the highwayManaging Director of MSRDC Radheshyam Mopalawar shared more details of the plan of the green highway ldquoWe will plant 1150 lakh plants along the road in three rows The first line is for bamboos The whole 701 km will have bamboos along it The other variety of trees and plants will be decided under guidance of the Botanical survey of India but mostly they will be local varietiesrdquo Mopalwar said He said the planting of plants and trees for the project will cost Rs 400 crore and they will be maintained for seven yearsIt will take 40 years to recover the cost of the project Currently Mopalwar said the toll fees will be Rs 172 per km while for the MumbaiPune expressway the toll fees are Rs 295 He also said they have marked 21 plots for amenities which could also be used as helipadsSpeed limitThe speed limit has been kept at 120 km on the expressway Shinde said ldquoI myself have driven at a speed of 120 km here but since the road is smooth one canrsquot feel the speedrdquoNo plan for trainShinde said the state government has no plans for a high speed train along with the expressway ldquoIf the central government has any such plan they can go aheadrdquo he said A few days back leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis had spoken about there being a plan for a high speed train along with the expressway210 kmLength of first phase Nagpur to Shelu BazarRs 55000 crthe estimated cost of the entire expressway project