Cabinet clears Rs 11,000 crore highway projects in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana

The Centre has given the green light to a series of highway projects worth over Rs 11,000 crore spanning Maharashtra, Gujarat and Telangana, according to official statements.The approvals were granted by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) and cover road widening, rehabilitation and new four-lane stretches aimed at boosting freight movement and regional connectivity.In Maharashtra, the CCEA has approved the rehabilitation and upgradation of the Ghoti–Trimbak (Mokhada)–Jawhar–Manor–Palghar stretch of National Highway-160A. The 154.635-km project will be taken up at a total capital cost of Rs 3,320.38 crore.The ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) said the work will be executed under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode.The ministry highlighted that the area west of Nashik — particularly Ambad and Satpur — houses a dense cluster of industrial units set up by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. This industrial concentration leads to significant freight traffic in the region.The project has been designed in line with PM GatiShakti principles and is expected to connect six PM GatiShakti Economic Nodes, one Social Node and eight Logistics Nodes in Maharashtra. According to MoRTH, this is likely to have a positive impact on the country’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI).In Gujarat, the CCEA has approved the construction of four-lane sections between Dhamasiya-Bitada/Movi and Nasarpore-Malotha at a cost of Rs 4,583.64 crore, as per news agency PTI.The 107.67-km stretch forms part of National Highway-56. The highway originates at Nimbahera in Rajasthan, passes through Dahod district in Gujarat, Alirajpur district in Madhya Pradesh, re-enters Gujarat near Chhota Udepur district and ends at its junction with NH-48 near Vapi.The project has been designed for a speed of 100 km per hour, with an expected average travel speed of 70 km per hour. This is projected to cut travel time by 40 per cent — reducing the journey from 2.5 hours to 1.5 hours, MoRTH said in a separate release.The government has also approved widening of National Highway-167 in Telangana at a total capital cost of Rs 3,175.08 crore, reported PTI.The 80.01-km project will cover the Gudebellur to Mahabubnagar stretch on the Hyderabad–Panaji Economic Corridor. It will be upgraded to a four-lane standard and executed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) through the National Highways (Original) [NH(O)] scheme.According to MoRTH, the upgrade aims to address existing infrastructure challenges and is expected to significantly benefit Narayanpet and Mahabubnagar districts in Telangana.Together, the three projects are intended to strengthen industrial connectivity, improve logistics efficiency and reduce travel time across key economic corridors in the three states.