Subheadline: The 13-km link to Kalamboli and JNPA is expected to enter construction tendering in January 2027 after most of the required land is acquired.
The National Highways Authority of India has started acquiring land for a new 13-km highway between Morbe and Kalamboli in Maharashtra, a proposed link intended to provide faster access to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority from the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway network.
Senior NHAI officials told Loksatta that the authority plans to complete around 90% of the land acquisition by the end of December and invite construction tenders in January 2027. The project is expected to begin construction later in 2027 and be completed by 2030, subject to the completion of the tendering and land acquisition processes.
The proposed Morbe-Kalamboli highway will require approximately 125 hectares of land. The alignment for the 13-km road has received approval from the Union government, following which NHAI began the acquisition process, according to the report.
The road is being planned as an alternative connection to JNPA because work on the Virar-Alibag Multimodal Corridor, which is expected to provide a connection from Morbe towards the port, has been delayed. The corridor is being developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. The delay has also affected the remaining section between Raite and Morbe on the Maharashtra leg of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
The final Maharashtra section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is planned between Talasari and Morbe and covers 156 km. Work on approximately 140 km between Talasari and Raite is under way and is reported to be 94% complete. The remaining 16-km section has been held up, according to the report.
Under the original connectivity plan, travellers would reach JNPA from Morbe through the Virar-Alibag Multimodal Corridor. NHAI has now decided to pursue the direct Morbe-Kalamboli road without waiting for that connection to be completed. The proposed route is intended to link with the Kalamboli junction and provide access towards JNPA.
NHAI officials said the journey between Morbe and Kalamboli could take about 15 minutes once the new road is operational. The same trip currently takes between one hour and one hour 15 minutes, according to the report. The new link is also expected to give traffic travelling towards JNPA an additional route when combined with the wider highway network.
The project’s stated construction schedule is dependent on completing the targeted land acquisition, conducting the tender process and beginning work in 2027. The authority’s immediate milestones are the planned completion of 90% of land acquisition by December-end and the proposed issue of construction tenders in January 2027.
