Motorists raising hell on yet-to-open stretch of Samruddhi Highway

The IgatpuriAmane section of the MumbaiNagpur Expresswaymdashcommonly known as the Samruddhi Mahamarg which was expected to be thrown open to traffic in March is allegedly being used by motorists before being inaugurated raising concerns about safety as crash barrier work is still underway Locals have accused the authorities of turning a blind eye to offendersAccording to sources some motorists are risking their lives by speeding on the 76km unopened stretch and even using the two tunnels between Amane and Shahapur which are unlitA Bhiwandi resident alleged that local villagers motorists bikers autorickshaws drivers and even government vehicles are plying the stretchMotorists on the Samruddhi Maharmarg section between Igatpuri and Amane which is yet to be opened PicsSourcesldquoA villager from Shahapur shared pictures of vehicles illegally travelling from Amane to Igatpuri and back via the Samruddhi Mahamarg even when the section is yet to be opened Are MSRDC Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation officials and the highway traffic police waiting for a disaster to happenrdquo asked the residentClinching evidencePictures and videos shared by the resident with this newspaper revealed that not only private fourwheelers but also small goods vehicles autorickshaw and twowheelers are using stretch In one clip motorist could be seen speeding while the installation of crash barriers on the median of the highway was in progressA Shahapur resident said ldquoTwo northbound tunnels are being used by private motorists bikers and goods vehicles The MSRDC should immediately restrict private vehicles including twowheelers from using the stretch as who will be held responsible if accidents take placerdquoA source also forwarded midday a picture of a black SUV on the unopened stretch On looking up information based on the number plate we learnt that the vehicle is registered in the name of a sitting MLA and cabinet ministerHowever it is not known whether the minister or his family members were inside the car when the source clicked the pictureThis newspaper tried to contact the MSRDC and the Maharashra Highway Traffic Police but they were unavailable for comment by press timeAccidents on expresswayAccording to the Maharashtra State Highway Security Policersquos data over 200 people have died while over 1750 have been injured on the expressway officially known as the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg between December 11 2022 and September 2024The authorities have been taking several measures to decrease the accidents on the road such as random examining of the tyre health of vehicles checking the air pressure in tyres installing multicoloured flags along the expressway building restrooms and break points and creating awareness about road hypnosisAbout the MahamargThe Samruddhi Mahamarg which was partially opened in December 2022 is an important infrastructure project linking Maharashtrarsquos economic and agricultural hubs The 701km expressway passes through three varied habitat types starting from the dry deciduous forests near Nagpur grasslands in the middle section and the Western Ghats near Mumbai At present motorists headed towards Nagpur have to travel up to Igatpuri via the old MumbaiNashik highway to get on to the Samruddhi Mahamarg and go towards Nagpur MSRDC officials had told midday that the work of the carriageway on the Mumbai end connecting the expressway with the old MumbaiNashik highway was progressing at a fast paceThere are five tunnels and 16 bridges on the last stretch of the expressway and because of the difficult terrain carrying out construction work there was challenging Motorists using the IgatpuriAmane section will be able to avoid Kasara ghat and the traffic on the old MumbaiNashik highway200No of deaths on Samruddhi since Dec 11 2022701 KMLength of Samruddhi Mahamarg