Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Saturday along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, among others, laid the foundation stone for three major elevated road corridors in Pune district – Pune-Shirur, Hadapsar-Yavat, and Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur – projects expected to ease the city’s chronic traffic congestion.Speaking at the ceremony, Gadkari said Pune is among the three or four most traffic-choked cities in the country, adding that this congestion is also driving up pollution levels. He pointed out that key highways connecting Pune to neighbouring cities – the Pune-Solapur, Pune-Kolhapur, Pune-Nashik and Pune-Mumbai routes – have all seen vehicle traffic exceed previous records, with little room left to widen these roads any further.To tackle this, Gadkari said the government is turning to technology-driven solutions, and the three projects inaugurated on Saturday are part of that effort.Genesis of the projectsRecalling the planning process, Gadkari said he had earlier requested the Maharashtra government to waive 9 per cent GST on cement and steel used in these projects, besides seeking royalty-free sand, stone and aggregate, along with support in land acquisition. He said the proposal was cleared by the state cabinet under then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.Gadkari specifically credited Ajit Pawar for his role in facilitating the projects and expressed sorrow that Pawar could not be present at Saturday’s inauguration.The three corridorsThe three projects, to be executed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), will cover some of the most congested stretches, including Pune-Shirur, Hadapsar-Yavat, and Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur. Work on all three began on Saturday.Details of the sanctioned projects:– Pune-Shirur corridor: 53.40 km, sanctioned at Rs 7,515 crore– Hadapsar-Yavat corridor: 31.65 km, sanctioned at Rs 5,265 crore– Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur corridor: 53.20 km, sanctioned at Rs 4,000 croreStory continues below this adNew construction technologyGadkari also directed officials to adopt a new construction technology for elevated corridors. Until now, Indian Road Congress (IRC) norms allowed a maximum span of 30 metres between pillars supporting elevated roads.Citing a technology developed in Malaysia – Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) – Gadkari said the gap between pillars can now be extended to 120 metres, eliminating the need for an additional three pillars across a section and cutting project costs. He noted that this technology, which uses steel fibre-reinforced beams instead of conventional steel, has already been used at 40 points on a bridge in Nagpur.Gadkari also flagged recurring complaints about expansion joints and rubber bearings beneath bridges, citing cracks found in the recently inaugurated 36-km Delhi-Dehradun elevated road.He said, “The companies responsible for supplying faulty rubber bearings on that project have been blacklisted, and instructed officials to ensure high-quality bearings are used in the new Pune corridors.” He added that the projects have been designed by L&T technical expert Venkatram, at his request, which he said would ensure superior construction quality.Story continues below this adFuture connectivity plansLooking ahead, Gadkari said the Detailed Project Report for a Rs 15,000-crore Shirur to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar corridor is currently underway and will also be built by MSRDC.Once complete, the corridor would cut travel time between Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to about two hours, with a further two-and-a-half hours needed to reach Nagpur from Sambhajinagar – bringing the total Pune-Nagpur road travel time down to roughly 4.3 to 4.45 hours, potentially making road travel a viable alternative to flying.He also spoke about the 30-km Nashik Phata-Khed project worth Rs 8,000 crore, for which tendering has been completed. However, he said the project has been held up at the Centre, where an official in the finance ministry has insisted on 100 per cent land acquisition before an appointment date can be issued. Gadkari said around Rs 90 crore worth of land acquisition, a state responsibility, remains pending, after which the project can be immediately inaugurated.On the Pune-Satara western bypass, Gadkari said the existing contractor has been replaced, with Rs 1,600 crore worth of service roads already approved. Another Rs 1,000 crore of work is expected to begin shortly, pending a formality with Axis Bank.Story continues below this adRavet-Narhe elevated corridorA Rs 6,000-crore elevated road is planned for the 32-km Ravet-Narhe stretch, with its DPR nearly ready. Gadkari said the Khambatki Ghat tunnel is likely to be inaugurated within the next two months.He also announced a new Rs 10,000-crore expressway aimed at cutting Mumbai-Bengaluru travel time to five hours, which would bypass the congested Panvel and Navi Mumbai stretches currently used by Pune-Mumbai commuters.Separately, he referred to the Centre’s project linking the Mumbai-Pune section of NH 48 – from Mumbai to Khalapur – with JNPT via the Atal Setu, for which 120 metres of land will be acquired and connected to Pune’s ring road. He said the tender for the first package and its inauguration are expected within the next two to three months, adding that this expressway will also intersect the existing Mumbai-Goa highway.Gadkari concluded by announcing that road projects worth around Rs 50,000 crore have been sanctioned for Pune district this year through the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which he said would go a long way in decongesting the city’s roads.