The government has taken an important decision to build the highway between Nashik and Akkalkot on BOT basis

Surat Chennai Expressway: The state will soon get a new highway. After the Delhi Mumbai Highway, the longest highway in the country, of course the Surat Chennai Highway will pass through Maharashtra and an important update has come out regarding the highway project.

In fact, the Surat-Chennai greenfield highway project was stalled for several days after the central government canceled the Bharatmala project and this has raised questions about the project.

But now this project is on the way to resume momentum. This will give great relief to the citizens who are waiting for this project.

We would like to inform you that the important phase of this project is now going to be built on Build Operate and Transfer basis.

A proposal to complete the Nashik to Akkalkot (222 km) section of this highway on BOT basis has now been placed before the Union Cabinet, which is likely to be approved soon.

After getting the approval, the actual work will start from November 2026. The Surat-Chennai fast freight route was announced by the central government to reduce the pressure on the cities of Mumbai and Pune due to heavy vehicles coming from North India.

However, the Ministry of Finance explained that the funds could not be made available due to the huge increase in the cost of Bharatmala Yojana through which this route was to be implemented. So the process was stopped at the stage in Maharashtra.

While work on the project was underway in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, work was stalled in Maharashtra’s Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Dharashiv and Solapur districts due to roadblocks related to land acquisition.

Now it has been decided to take the highway forward in phases and for the 222 km long Nashik-Akkalkot phase in Maharashtra, an expenditure of around Rs 2 thousand crores is expected. This phase has been entrusted to Solapur division.

Land acquisition has been largely completed in Solapur and Akkalkot areas, officials said, except for some parts of Akkalkot taluka, more than 70 percent land acquisition has been completed.

The disbursement of compensation to the concerned landowners has also been largely completed. However, sources in the project explained that the land acquisition process is going on at a slow pace in Dharashiv and Ahilyanagar districts.

Swapnil Kasar, project director, National Highways Department, said, “The approval process for the Nashik-Akkalkot section is in the final stages and approval is likely to be given by March 2026. After that, the actual work will begin.”

He also said that a decision on the proposed bypass route for Solapur city is still pending. Although the project has suffered a setback after the ban on the Bharatmala Yojana, the BOT model has now increased the chances of this important national highway passing through.