Nashik has begun work on a Rs 65-crore road project that will widen and upgrade a 4.5-km stretch between Bardan Phata and Motiwala College, creating an alternative corridor to the congested Gangapur Road ahead of the 2027 Simhastha Kumbh Mela. The project is expected to be completed by March 2027.
Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Mahatma Nagar–Motiwala College road project on Monday. The existing canal-side road, which is about nine metres wide, will be expanded to 24 metres and strengthened to handle increased vehicular movement.
The project received approval from the Nashik Municipal Corporation’s standing committee, following which the civic public works department issued a work order to the contractor. Civic officials said the upgraded road would provide an alternative route for motorists travelling through western Nashik and help divert traffic from Gangapur Road.
Gangapur Road is one of the city’s key arterial routes, connecting Nashik’s central areas with rapidly developing residential, educational, commercial and recreational zones in the west. Traffic has increased as high-density residential pockets have expanded along the corridor. Schools, colleges, hospitals, banks, restaurants and other commercial establishments contribute to frequent interruptions and slow-moving traffic, particularly during peak hours.
The corridor also carries traffic towards tourist destinations such as Sula Vineyards, Soma Vine Village, Gangapur Dam and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation’s boating facility in the dam backwaters. Vehicular movement rises further on weekends and holidays, adding to pressure on the road network.
Civic officials identified inadequate parking, roadside encroachments and the absence of dedicated service roads at several locations as factors worsening congestion on Gangapur Road. The NMC expects the parallel road to reduce congestion and travel time while improving connectivity in western Nashik.
The road project forms part of Nashik’s wider infrastructure preparations for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela, which is expected to bring a large influx of pilgrims to the city. Shinde said improved road connectivity would accelerate urban development and directed authorities to complete ongoing road projects within their stipulated timelines. He also said there would be no compromise on construction quality and warned that action would be taken against contractors responsible for poor-quality road work.
The ceremony also brought municipal staffing capacity into focus. Deputy mayor Vilas Shinde sought state government approval to fill more than 2,500 vacant posts in the Nashik Municipal Corporation before the Kumbh Mela. In response, the deputy chief minister directed municipal commissioner Manisha Khatri to submit a proposal to the state urban development department and assured that steps would be taken towards recruitment before the event.
The Mahatma Nagar–Motiwala College road is scheduled to be ready by March 2027, leaving the civic administration with a defined deadline for completing the widening, strengthening and asphalting work before the major religious gathering.
