The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has commenced work on an elevated road along the Pune-Shirur corridor, a key segment of the Pune-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Road. The 53-km project, developed under the Design, Finance, Build, Operate, and Transfer (DFBOT) model through a public-private partnership (PPP), aims to reduce congestion on Pune-Nagar Road and improve regional connectivity. MSRDC has invited expressions of interest and extended the deadline for bid submissions to February 28. The first phase includes the construction of the elevated Pune-Shirur road, followed by enhancements to the Ahilyanagar-Devgad Road. Additionally, a Greenfield highway linking Shirur to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has been proposed. Spanning 250 km, the Pune-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar highway will integrate an elevated section over the existing Pune-Shirur highway. With an estimated cost of Rs 200 billion, the project will connect to the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg at Shendra MIDC, significantly enhancing transportation links in the region. (Punekar news)