India’s first expressway is now most expensive national highway, travellers need to pay…, connects Mumbai with…

New Delhi: Did you know that the Mumbai-Pune Expressway is the country’s first high-speed expressway? A section of the expressway was opened to the public in 1999, and by 2002, the entire stretch was fully operational. Its been 25 years that the expressway is open for public use. One end of this expressway connects to Mumbai, the financial capital of India, while the other end leads to Pune.

For the construction of the Mumbai-Pune expressway, a huge amount of fund was provided by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. According to the media reports, the construction of this expressway incurred a cost of approximately Rs 1,630 crore. Spanning 94.5 kilometers, it begins in the Kalamboli area of Navi Mumbai and ends in Kiwale, Pune.

Constructed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the expressway cuts the travel time between two cities from 3 hours to just 1 hour. It is important to note that the toll of the expressway is increased by 6 percent annually but is implemented cumulatively at 18 percent after every three years.

It was last revised in April 2023, when the toll was increased to Rs 320 from Rs 270 and Rs 495 for vehicles like minibuses and tempos instead of the current Rs 420. The toll for two-axle trucks has been increased from the current Rs 585 to Rs 685. Buses will now pay Rs 940, up from the earlier ₹797. Officials have stated that the toll rates will remain unchanged until 2030, with no further revisions after the three-year mark in 2026.

Here are some of the interesting facts about the Mumbai-Pune Expressway

The Mumbai-Pune expressway was constructed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC)
A section of the expressway was opened to the public in 1999, and by 2002, the entire stretch was fully operational
One end of this expressway connects to Mumbai, the financial capital of India, while the other end leads to Pune.
The construction of this expressway incurred a cost of approximately Rs 1,630 crore.
Spanning 94.5 kilometers, it begins in the Kalamboli area of Navi Mumbai and ends in Kiwale, Pune.
The expressway cuts the travel time between two cities from 3 hours to just 1 hour.
The toll of the expressway is increased by 6 percent annually but is implemented cumulatively at 18 percent after every three years.
It was last revised in April 2023, when the toll was increased to Rs 320 from Rs 270 and Rs 495 for vehicles like minibusses and tempos instead of the current Rs 420.
The toll for two-axle trucks has been increased from the current Rs 585 to Rs 685.
Buses will now pay Rs 940, up from the earlier Rs 797

Under Vision 2047, the plan is to construct 50,000 km of access-controlled high speed national highways, up from the current 4,000 km