VIDEO: Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde Take The Wheel On Samruddhi Expressway With Ajit Pawar, Manisha Mhaiskar On Board

Hours after he inaugurated the final 76 km stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg (Igatpuri-Amane) on Thursday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis could not stop himself from driving on the highway.

In the video posted on Instagram, he was seen driving on the highway with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde sitting beside him and Ajit Pawar And IAS Officer Manisha Mhaiskar in the back seat.

He captioned the video as: "Maharashtra’s path to prosperity – paved and delivered!"

He was seen driving with the windows open, while the window on Ajit Pawar’s side was closed. Fadnavis also gave a thumbs-up symbol, as a gesture marking the successful completion of the project.

While in other videos, DCM Eknath Shinde was also seen driving.

All you need to know about the strech

Full stretch (701 km) now complete; inaugurated by Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on June 5.

Travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai cut from 17–18 hours to just 8 hours.

625 km of the expressway was already operational; over 2 crore vehicles have used it.

Speed limit: 100 km/h in ghat sections, 120 km/h on plain stretches.

Official name: Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg.

Passes through 392 villages, 26 talukas, 10 districts, 5 revenue divisions.

Helps farmers from areas like Shirdi, Sinnar, Igatpuri to reach Mumbai market faster.

Connects to Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, JNPA, and tourist spots like Shirdi, Ajanta-Ellora, Lonar Lake.

Includes 5 twin tunnels (10.73 km) and 17 valley viaducts (10.56 km).

Cost of construction: ₹55,000 crore.

Connects districts like Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Nashik, Thane, and many more.

Supports cargo movement via MIHAN project in Nagpur.

Published on: Thursday, June 05, 2025, 03:03 PM IST