Eastern Vidarbha is on the verge of a major connectivity upgrade. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is spearheading three expressway projects, collectively valued at Rs 56,275 crore. These projects are conceived as extensions of the Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, forming the ‘Eastern Corridor,’ which will directly connect border districts to Nagpur and onward to Mumbai.
The Nagpur-Chandrapur Expressway is the most prominent project, spanning 191 kilometers. It will commence from Seldoh in Nagpur district and extend to Navegaon-More in Pombhurna taluka, Chandrapur district, with a 12-kilometer connector to Chandrapur city. This four-lane, access-controlled expressway has an estimated cost of Rs 21,702 crore. The detailed project report (DPR) is currently under preparation.
The Nagpur–Gondia Expressway is the second major component, covering 162 kilometers, including a 144-kilometer main road, a 12-kilometer Tiroda connector, and a 3-kilometer Gondia bypass. With an investment of Rs 21,670 crore, this expressway will begin at Gavsi Manapur village in Nagpur and terminate at Sawari village in Gondia district. The state cabinet approved Rs 3,162 crore for the project last month. It will traverse 117 villages across Nagpur, Bhandara, and Gondia districts, requiring approximately 1,604 hectares of land. The Nagpur–Gondia travel time is expected to drop from three hours to just 1.15 hours upon completion.
The Bhandara–Gadchiroli Expressway, priced at Rs 12,903 crore and approved in December 2023, will be 94 kilometers long. It will originate from the Savarkhanda interchange on the proposed Nagpur-Gondia Expressway and extend to Armori in Gadchiroli district. This project necessitates 1,013.58 hectares of land, with land acquisition costing Rs 534 crore. Work orders for all three packages have been issued, paving the way for expedited construction.
The expressways are scheduled for completion within 30 months. They promise seamless connectivity from Mumbai or Nagpur to Chandrapur, Gondia, and Gadchiroli, integrating eastern Vidarbha with the state’s developmental mainstream. These projects aim to reduce travel time and freight movement, fostering economic growth, attracting investment, and improving accessibility in this resource-rich yet infrastructure-deficient region. This Rs 56,275 crore investment represents a substantial infrastructure initiative for Vidarbha, aimed at bridging the east-west divide and transforming the region’s development prospects.