Widen 3 national highways to ease Pune’s traffic woes, Ajit Pawar urges Nitin Gadkari

Pawar has demanded that the National Highway 60 stretch from Nashik Phata to Khed and the National Highway 65 stretch from Hadapsar to Yavat be widened from four lanes to six, and the National Highway 548D stretch from Talegaon to Shikrapur be upgraded from two lanes to four.

“The current lane configurations on these sections have exceeded their capacity due to the increased traffic volumes, especially during peak hours. This has resulted in severe congestion, impacting movement and safety for commuters and goods alike. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement to add extra lanes within the existing land width to accommodate peak hour traffic effectively,” Pawar has stated in the letter.

Pointing out that all three highways pass through zones with educational institutions, industrial belts, residential areas, hospitals, petroleum and automobile industries, and commercial hubs, Pawar said there is “immense traffic pressure on these routes, causing constant congestion and raising safety concerns for motorists”.

Saying that the state government was aware of a proposal to build an elevated highway in this corridor, Pawar said, until then, widening the highways would “serve as an effective interim solution”.

Pawar further urged Gadkari to consider and expedite the approval of this widening proposal to “provide immediate relief to the growing traffic problems in Pune’s industrial zone.