When Devendra Fadnavis, then a young MLA from Nagpur in 2000, imagined a fast highway directly linking his city to Mumbai, the idea sounded audacious — 701 kilometres of access-controlled expressway cutting through the Vidarbha plains, the Marathwada plateau, and the Western Ghats, connecting India’s financial capital to one of its most historically underserved regional economies. Twenty-five years later, that vision is fully realised. On June 5, 2025, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the final stretch from Igatpuri in Nashik to Amane in Thane, completing the 701-kilometre Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg end-to-end.
The expressway’s official name is Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg — a six-lane corridor with a maximum design speed of 150 km/h, featuring 65 flyovers, 33 major bridges, 274 minor bridges, and six tunnels. The final 76-kilometre stretch through the Western Ghats from Igatpuri to Amane was the most engineering-intensive — it includes three key interchanges at Igatpuri, Kutghar in Shahapur, and Amane, as well as a 7.8-kilometre road tunnel through the Kasara Ghat region that dramatically eases the climb by reducing elevation from 450 metres to 160 metres.
The full 701-km expressway was built at a cost of approximately ₹55,000 crore and passes through 10 districts of Maharashtra — Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana, Jalna, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Nashik, and Thane — traversing 392 villages in 26 talukas. The practical impact is transformational: with the final stretch open, travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur drops to approximately eight hours from the previous 16 to 18 hours.
Nagpur Expressway Overview
| Detail | Information |
| Official Name | Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg |
| Popular Name | Samruddhi Mahamarg / Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway |
| Maintained By | MSRDC (Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation) |
| Length | 701 km |
| Lanes | 6-lane access-controlled |
| From (West) | Amane village, Bhiwandi, Thane District |
| To (East) | Shivmadka village, Nagpur District |
| Fully Operational Since | June 5, 2025 (final Phase 4 inaugurated) |
| Phase 1 | Nagpur–Shirdi (520 km) — December 11, 2022 |
| Phase 2 | Shirdi–Bharvir Khurd — May 26, 2023 |
| Phase 3 | Bharvir Khurd–Igatpuri — March 4, 2024 |
| Phase 4 | Igatpuri–Amane, Mumbai MMR — June 5, 2025 |
| Project Cost | Approx. ₹55,000 crore |
| Design Speed | Up to 150 km/h; 120 km/h flat; 100 km/h ghat |
| Infrastructure | 65 flyovers, 33 major bridges, 274 minor bridges, 6 tunnels incl. 7.8 km Kasara Ghat tunnel |
| Districts Covered | 10 districts, 392 villages, 26 talukas |
| Travel Time (Mumbai-Nagpur) | ~8 hours (down from 16–18 hours) |
Route and Location
The expressway runs from Shivmadka village in Nagpur district at its eastern end to Amane village in Bhiwandi, Thane district at its western end, passing through major cities including Bhiwandi, Nashik, Shirdi, Aurangabad, Jalna, Wardha, and Nagpur. The corridor functions as Maharashtra’s east-west growth spine, connecting the port economy of Mumbai MMR to the orange-growing, cotton-farming, and coal-mining economy of Vidarbha.
Connectivity
The Samruddhi Mahamarg links the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority in Navi Mumbai, and major tourist destinations such as Shirdi, Ajanta-Ellora Caves in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. The Nagpur end connects to MIHAN — the Nagpur Multi-Modal International Hub Airport — India’s largest Special Economic Zone by area. EVs are toll-exempt under Maharashtra’s EV Policy 2025.
Nearby Areas
Shirdi — the sacred town of Sai Baba — is directly accessible from the expressway’s midpoint, making this corridor a pilgrimage route as much as a commercial highway. Aurangabad/Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar with the Ajanta-Ellora cave complexes and Lonar Crater (a 52,000-year-old meteorite impact lake in Buldhana district) are other significant heritage destinations accessible along the route.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. When was the Samruddhi Mahamarg (Nagpur Expressway) fully completed?
A: June 5, 2025, when CM Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the final 76-km Igatpuri-to-Amane stretch.
Q2. How long is the Samruddhi Mahamarg?
A: 701 km — one of India’s longest expressways — connecting Nagpur to Mumbai’s metropolitan region.
Q3. How much did the Nagpur Expressway cost?
A: Approximately ₹55,000 crore total project cost.
Q4. How long does it take to travel Mumbai to Nagpur on the Samruddhi Mahamarg?
A: Approximately 8 hours — down from 16 to 18 hours on the old highway.
Q5. What is the famous tunnel on the Nagpur Expressway’s final phase?
A: A 7.8 km road tunnel through the Kasara Ghat — the longest road tunnel in this phase — that reduces elevation from 450 metres to 160 metres through the Western Ghats.