Relief eludes accident-prone Navale Bridge area as NH-48 elevated corridor DPR awaits Centre’s approval

Pune: Following yet another accident involving a heavy vehicle in the risk-prone Navale Bridge area on Monday, in which one fatality was reported, the spotlight is once more on the wait to implement relief measures on this stretch.

The long-pending traffic bottleneck at the junction on NH-48 was to be tackled with a proposed 32.27-km elevated corridor between Ravet and Narhe, for which the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has already submitted the detailed project report (DPR) to the Centre. Officials said on Wednesday that the project continues to await approval from the Union Cabinet.

Estimated to cost over Rs6,090 crore, the elevated corridor has been designed to ease congestion along one of Pune’s most overloaded highway stretches, where commuters currently face delays of 45–60 minutes and speeds often drop below 20kmph during peak hours, especially around Navale Bridge, a key choke point.

Safety has been a central design focus. The project includes crash barriers, parapet walls, reflective signage, lane markings, high-mast lighting, drainage systems, surveillance provisions and emergency response facilities. Special attention has been given to monsoon resilience, including measures to address waterlogging-prone stretches along the existing highway.

During construction, detailed traffic management plans will be mandatory, including barricading of work zones, phased diversions, speed restrictions near construction sites, traffic marshals, illuminated work zones and continuous monitoring to ensure commuter safety. Provisions for uninterrupted movement of emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire services will be maintained at all times.

The Pune district collector-appointed IIT Delhi team is expected to submit its recommendations to the proposal.

The project is planned in two phases — a 16.4-km stretch from Jambulwadi to Sutarwadi and a 15.87-km section from Sutarwadi to Dehu Road Junction — and will provide a continuous elevated high-speed corridor along NH-48, a critical part of the Mumbai–Pune–Bengaluru highway network.

Officials said the corridor will segregate long-distance and freight traffic from local urban movement, directly reducing pressure at congested nodes such as Navale Bridge Junction, Bhumkar Chowk and Wakad-Hinjewadi Cross Road, while also improving connectivity to major traffic generators including Hinjewadi IT Park, Bhosari MIDC and the Chakan industrial belt.

The six-lane (3+3) divided corridor includes major ramps and flyovers at key junctions, including Navale Junction up and down ramps, grade-separated structures at Bhumkar Chowk, Hinjewadi-Wakad Cross Road improvements, Dehu Road Junction upgrades and connectivity links near Kiwale and the Mumbai Expressway interchange.

According to the DPR, once operational, the corridor is expected to increase average speeds to around 80kmph and reduce travel time by 30–40%, while also lowering vehicle operating costs, fuel consumption and emissions across the corridor.