Pune, 16th May 2026: Road travel between Pune and Mumbai is expected to become significantly faster as the Centre moves ahead with a new Pune-Mumbai expressway project. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said the groundbreaking ceremony for the first package of the project is likely to take place within the next three months.
The new route will begin near Mumbai’s Atal Setu and connect directly to Pune’s proposed ring road. Vehicles travelling from Mumbai will be able to bypass congestion inside Pune city and continue directly towards Phaltan and Bengaluru through the outer corridor.
According to Gadkari, the new corridor is expected to reduce travel time between Pune and Mumbai by nearly one-and-a-half hours while easing pressure on the existing expressway.
The Centre has also planned a new Green Highway project aimed at improving road connectivity between Pune and Nagpur. Gadkari said the alignment for the proposed route has been finalized and the project has been handed over to the state Public Works Department.
The highway will reduce travel time between Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to nearly two hours. The route will later connect with the Samruddhi Mahamarg near Jalna, making it possible to travel from Pune to Nagpur in around four-and-a-half to five hours.
Highlighting future transport technologies, Gadkari said the government is increasing its focus on green hydrogen as an alternative fuel source. Hydrogen is being produced using water, waste and bio-digesters, while pilot projects involving hydrogen-powered buses and trucks are already operational on 10 major routes across the country.
He said the current production cost of green hydrogen remains high due to electricity requirements, but efforts are underway to bring costs down substantially in the coming years.