NH-4 outshines expressway

PUNE: The Pune-Mumbai highway seems set to steal some of the thunder back from the Pune-Mumbai expressway, at least for the time being.
The national highway (NH-4), which had taken a backseat ever since the country’s first expressway became operational in 2000, has just acquired a fresh new coat especially in the ghat section.
There, the highway has been reinforced with two new coats: dense bituminous macadam and bituminous concrete.Although, several sections of the Borghat were common to the expressway and the old highway, other sections of the old highway were in nightmarish state, marked by sharp turns, giant potholes, uneven surface and poor upkeep.
With the new coats, which were completed a few weeks ago, the ghat sections provide a sign of things to come because all this is part of an ongoing project to turn the entire 111-km highway into a four-lane highway (it is partially two-lane now), and a paid highway.
"Four-laning is in full swing across 60 km of the highway, including the Dehu-Lonavla and Sheel Phata-Khalapur sections. Reinforcement is being carried out on the Khopoli-Panvel sections besides the Borghat," sources said.
The project, scheduled to be completed by August 2006, will have fourlane, improved drive. Gantry girders will also be installed and 18 junctions, such as Talegaon and Kamshet, will be improved. A rail overbridge and a new bridge over the Indrayani river is also included in the plan.
"Toll will be introduced as soon as work is complete. Efforts are on to complete it ahead of schedule in March or April 2006. With six main lanes on the expressway and four on NH-4 Pune-Mumbai, travellers will really enjoy greater luxury than in any other part of the country. Which is apt, because it continues to be the busiest stretch of road," a top official said.
"However, there is a note of caution. Although NH-4 has been improved, heavy vehicles such as trucks and container trailers should continue to use the expressway. The old highway does not offer them the right geography to manoeuvre huge loads safely," he added.