The central government has granted national highway status to the Pune–Dighi Port stretch, highlighting its strategic importance for coastal trade. At present the road to Dighi Port passes through Pune, Chandani Chowk, Paud, Tamhini, Mangaon and Dighi, and the ghat section is characterised by steep gradients and narrow curves that slow traffic and raise accident risk for heavy goods vehicles. Frequent intense rainfall makes the ghat prone to landslides and seasonal blockages, while weekend tourist traffic compounds congestion and delays. These operational challenges have prompted NHAI to explore durable engineering solutions.
One option under review is a new alignment via Panshet, Mangaon and Dighi Port that would bypass the current Tamhini stretch entirely, while another proposes upgrading the existing ghat by easing hazardous curves and constructing a tunnel between Dongarwadi and Tamhini to shorten the route. Preliminary data collection and planning are already under way, with traffic modelling and geological surveys forming part of the assessment. Engineers are examining how realignment or tunnelling might deliver smoother gradients and safer overtaking provisions for commercial carriers. Environmental and land acquisition considerations will also form part of the appraisal.
One tunnel route could reduce the Dighi–Pune distance by nearly 30 kilometres and a Mangaon–Kumbhe–Kumbhyachi Wadi–Ghol–Panshet–Pune proposal could cut it by up to 50 kilometres. Authorities expect a re-engineered corridor to reduce travel time, improve safety and bolster trade, tourism and development across western Maharashtra. The work is a strategic investment to strengthen logistical efficiency between industrial belt near Mangaon and the port hinterland.