Cabinet Approves ₹4,500 Crore Greenfield Highway to Boost JNPA Port Connectivity

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of a six-lane access-controlled Greenfield High-Speed National Highway connecting JNPA Port (Pagote) to Chowk in Maharashtra. The ₹4,500.62 crore project will be developed under the Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) model, significantly enhancing logistics efficiency in the region.

The new highway, spanning 29.219 km, aligns with the principles of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which aims for integrated infrastructure development across India. With the growing container volume at JNPA Port and the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport, a critical need was identified for improved national highway connectivity to facilitate smooth transportation of goods and passengers.

Currently, heavy congestion in urban areas such as Palaspe Phata, D-Point, Kalamboli Junction, and Panvel causes significant delays, with vehicles taking up to 2-3 hours to travel from JNPA Port to the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) section of NH-48 and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. This situation is expected to worsen once the Navi Mumbai International Airport becomes operational in 2025, further increasing the demand for seamless connectivity.

The newly approved highway will start at JNPA Port (NH-348) in Pagote village and extend to the Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH-48), providing direct links to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Mumbai-Goa National Highway (NH-66). Two tunnels through the Sahyadri Hills will replace the existing ghat sections, ensuring smoother movement for commercial vehicles and large container trucks.

The six-lane corridor is expected to revolutionize freight transport by reducing travel time, minimizing congestion, and offering a safer, more efficient route for cargo movement. The project is also set to unlock economic growth in the developing regions around Mumbai and Pune, fostering new business opportunities and infrastructure expansion.