Controlled blasting activity will be carried for around 10 hours daily for two years for augmentation of India's first Expressway between Mumbai and Pune, said Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) that is executing the project. Controlled blasting activity will be carried out for breaking of rocks and constructing a 10-km-long tunnel on Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
The augmentation of Mumbai-Pune Expressway is being done to lessen the travel time between Mumbai and Pune and also to decongest the ghat section of Expressway that is very narrow thus causing slow movement of traffic. The construction work on the augmentation is expected to start by year end.
An MSRDC official said, "We have estimated that the overall augmentation work will take three years. First two years will require blasting activity for ten hours daily. The start of the missing link will be at Khalapur and end point near Kusgaon on Pune end."
Currently, controlled blasting activity is being carried out for construction of Navi Mumbai International Airport, and was also for Colaba-Seepz Metro-3 underground corridor. The MSRDC official added, "We have calculated two years and daily ten hours for controlled blasting but it will vary. Nod from the state forest and environment department is awaited yet, and after this final nod will be by Union Ministry of Forest and Environment."
Apart from controlled blasting, the tunnelling for the augmentation will be done using New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) technology wherein the machine will be placed in the rocks followed by explosives for carrying out controlled blasting. No traffic blocks for blasting activities are to be carried out on the Expressway yet but will be done, in case of need arising.
Construction cost for the project is around Rs 5,300 crore for which a company will be appointed having responsibility of two elevated bridges and two tunnels that will shorten distance between Mumbai and Pune by around 10-km. The twin tunnels will be around 10-km and the bridges would be another around 8-km.
THE PURPOSE
- Augmentation of Mum-Pune E-way is being done to lessen the travel time between city and Pune
- It is also being done to decongest the ghat section of the Expressway that is very narrow and results in slow movement of traffic
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