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Mumbai’s traffic troubles between Thane and the city may soon see major relief. The Maharashtra Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has announced an ambitious Rs. 6,000 crore infrastructure project to directly link the Samruddhi Expressway to Mumbai through a new 29-kilometre elevated corridor between Aamne and Saket in Thane district.
The move is expected to significantly reduce travel time and ease daily congestion for motorists entering Mumbai from the Samruddhi Highway. Currently, vehicles coming from the 701-kilometre Nagpur–Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway experience severe traffic jams once they reach Aamne near Bhiwandi. The short 29-kilometre drive from there to Thane can take as long as two hours during peak hours. The new elevated corridor aims to change that entirely, allowing vehicles to move seamlessly from Aamne to Thane and further into Mumbai without encountering major bottlenecks.
In addition to this, the MMRDA is extending the Eastern Freeway from Chheda Nagar in Ghatkopar to Anand Nagar in Thane. This 13-kilometre, three-lane elevated stretch, being built at a cost of Rs. 2,682 crore, will directly connect with the upcoming Aamne–Saket–Anand Nagar corridor. Once completed, motorists driving in from the Samruddhi Highway will be able to reach South Mumbai smoothly through the Eastern Freeway without navigating city traffic.
The plan doesn’t stop there. Following the Aamne–Saket section, an additional 8.24-kilometre elevated road from Saket to Anand Nagar is also being developed at a cost of Rs. 1,874 crore. Combined, these two corridors will create a continuous link that connects the Samruddhi Expressway all the way into Mumbai’s core.
This project holds significant importance for motorists from cities such as Nashik, Nagpur, and Shirdi. The Samruddhi Expressway, which already passes through key cities like Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Nashik, and Thane, has drastically reduced travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur to around eight hours. The upcoming elevated connection will make this route even more efficient, allowing travellers from central and northern Maharashtra to access Mumbai faster and with fewer delays.
Officials believe that the new link will not only improve connectivity but also help decongest existing routes like the Mumbai–Nashik Highway and Eastern Express Highway, which are currently overburdened with heavy traffic. The direct corridor will streamline logistics for transporters and cut down fuel consumption and vehicular pollution caused by prolonged idling in jams.
The MMRDA’s larger vision is to create seamless transport corridors between Mumbai and its surrounding regions. Projects like the Samruddhi linkage and the Eastern Freeway extension are part of a broader plan to make road travel across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region more efficient and sustainable. When completed, the combined network is expected to transform long-distance travel into Mumbai, boost trade and tourism, and provide faster connectivity between the state’s major economic hubs.
If timelines stay on track, the elevated corridor could mark a turning point for commuters, reducing hours of frustration on the road and bringing Maharashtra’s farthest districts closer to Mumbai’s fast-paced heart.
