New tenders for Mumbai-Pune Expressway extension

Several companies are in the fray for a Rs 825 crore project to extend the Mumbai-Pune Expressway from Kalamboli to BARC in Chembur.Domestic infrastructure majors and multinationals, including IL&FS, Gammon India Ltd, IRB Infrastructure, Atlanta, Reliance Energy and Ashok Buildcon, have bid for the 14-lane expansion of the 26-km highway stretch. The tender modalities would be completed within a couple of months, said public works minister Anil Deshmukh.Deshmukh admitted the fact that the project had got delayed due to re-tendering but said the road construction should begin within a couple of months. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will tender the work on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis.The minister said the road will be the country’s first urban access control project and will reduce the time taken to travel to Mumbai from Panvel. Currently, after reaching Panvel from Pune in two hours, the traffic congestion on the Sion-Panvel highway forces people to spend nearly one-and-a-halfhours in reaching Mumbai.Earlier, the internationally floated tender by the MSRDC had received weak response. Then a Malaysian firm, which was in talks for the project, had quoted Rs 1.38 crore for the consultation, despite its earlier promise to charge a mere Rs 48 lakh. This forced the MSRDC to re-tender the project. According to the new tender conditions, the aspiring bidder should have completed a project worth at least Rs 350 crore.The survey report and blueprint of the project have been prepared by the STUP Consultants Ltd. The PWD has already acquired sufficient land for the project. The 14-lane super expressway will have seven lanes on both sides, besides one service road on either side, said Deshmukh. The corridor will be the first access control urban road in India with two service roads for entry and exits at various points, dedicated five lanes for heavy and light vehicles, eight subways and three flyovers. The road will be 62 mts wide.Three flyovers proposed on the expressway will be located at Kamothe, Uran and Sanpada