The Maharashtra Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has sanctioned road improvement projects totaling around Rs 24,884 crore across the state. These projects, managed by the Public Works Department (PWD), aim at enhancing the state’s road infrastructure. Minister for Public Works, Shivendra Raje Bhosale, revealed that the projects, supported by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB), will focus on the comprehensive development of state roads.
Under the Maharashtra State Road Improvement Project, financial aid of $1,000 million (about Rs 8,700 crore) will be provided by the AIIB in two phases. In the initial phase of $715 million (Rs 6,221 crore), the AIIB will contribute $500 million (Rs 4,350 crore), with the state government’s share amounting to around $215 million (Rs 1,871 crore). Priority will be given to roads within ‘Growth Corridors’ to support the state’s goal of achieving a $1 trillion economy.
The projects will target routes with high traffic density exceeding 5,000 PCU and where commercial traffic makes up over 40% of the total volume. The first phase of AIIB funding will involve improving approximately 750 kilometers of roads through an open tendering process on an EPC basis by the PWD. The state government will initially finance these works, to be later reimbursed by the multilateral development bank.
Additionally, the Cabinet has greenlit a proposal for road enhancement in Maharashtra utilizing financial aid from the NDB. The first phase of this initiative will kick off work on about 750 kilometers of roads. Minister Bhosale highlighted that this decision is a significant step for the state’s infrastructure, aiming to make roads safer, of higher quality, and more suitable for heavy traffic. It is anticipated to greatly boost industrial, agricultural, tourism, and commercial development in the region.
