CCAE gives nod to ₹19,000 crore BOT project to construct 6-lane greenfield road corridor
This is considered the largest value BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) based infrastructure project
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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved a ₹19,000 crore road project. This is considered the largest value BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) based infrastructure project. The government says the same model can be replicated in other infrastructure sectors, too.
“The Cabinet has approved the 6-lane Nashik–Solapur–Akkalkot greenfield corridor in Maharashtra. Aligned with PM GatiShakti, this transformative project will cut travel time significantly, strengthen west-to-east connectivity, boost logistics and generate large-scale employment, thereby powering economic growth,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post.
Earlier, briefing the media about decisions by Cabinet and CCEA, Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the model concession agreement for the new project is being designed keeping in mind experience of the past projects. In future, the same model can be applied in other sectors such as Railway, he added,
The project involves construction of six-lane greenfield access-controlled Nashik-Solapur-Akkalkot corridor in Maharashtra at a total capital cost of ₹19,142 crore. According to an official statement, this will provide connectivity to important regional cities such as Nashik, Ahilyanagar and Solapur connecting to Kurnool. The greenfield corridor from Nashik to Akkalkot is proposed to be connected to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Vadhawan port interchange, Agra-Mumbai corridor at Nashik at junction with NH-60 (Adegaon), and Samruddhi Mahamarg at Pangri (near Nashik).
The statement said the proposed corridor will provide connectivity from west coast to east coast. From the Chennai port end, 4-lane corridors are already in progress from Chennai to Hasapur (MH Border) via Thiruvallur, Renigunta, Kadappa and Kurnool (700 km long).
The primary purpose of the proposed access-controlled six-lane greenfield project corridor is to improve travel efficiency, and is expected to reduce travel time by 17 hours and reduce the travel distance by 201 km. Nashik-Akkalkot (Solapur) connectivity will improve logistics efficiency for freight originating and terminating at major National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) nodes of Kopparthy and Orvakal.
The six-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor with close tolling, supporting average vehicular speeds of 60 km/hour with design speed of 100 km/hour. This will reduce the overall travel time to about 17 hours from 31 hours, while offering safer, faster, and uninterrupted connectivity for both passengers and freight vehicles, the statement said. The project will generate about 251.06 lakh man-days of direct employment and 313.83 lakh man-days of indirect employment, it added.
Road Project in Odisha
Meanwhile, the Cabinet approved the widening and strengthening of NH-326 in Odisha, upgrading the existing two-lane stretch to a two-lane highway with paved shoulder from 68.600 km to 311.700 km under the EPC mode. According to an official statement, the total capital cost for the project is Rs 1,526.21 crore, which includes a civil construction cost of ₹966.79 crore.
The statement said the upgradation of NH-326 will make travel faster, safer, and more reliable, resulting in overall development of southern Odisha, particularly benefiting the districts of Gajapati, Rayagada, and Koraput.
The government has declared the stretch “the highway starting from its junction with NH-59 near Aska, passing through Mohana, Raipanka, Amalabhata, Rayagada, Laxmipur and terminating at its junction with NH-30 near Chinturu in Odisha” as NH-326 vide Gazette Notification dated August 14 ,2012.
Published on December 31, 2025
