Nashik Municipal Corporation floats Rs 203-crore bids to develop 6.4km of highway stretch to Pune passing via city

Nashik: The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has invited bids worth Rs 203 crore for asphalting the 6.4km stretch of the Nashik-Pune highway between Dwarka Circle and Datta Mandir in Nashik Road, including the service road running parallel to the flyover.Officials said the project, to be completed within a year of issuing the work order, also involved widening the corridor from six lanes to 10 in preparation for next year's Simhastha Kumbh Mela.NMC had earlier sought the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)'s support to upgrade the stretch and initially proposed white-topping for the entire corridor. After discussions between senior officials of both agencies, NHAI recommended switching to asphalting. Following this, the civic body submitted a revised proposal, combining widening with asphalt work."We have floated bids for the widening and asphalting of the 6.4km stretch from six lanes to 10 at Rs 203 crore. Bids can be submitted till March 25 and will be opened the following day. The selected contractor will have one year to finish the work," an NMC official said.The official said a pre-bid meeting for prospective contractors has also been scheduled for March 25.The Dwarka-Nashik Road segment is among the busiest and most congested corridors in the city, serving traffic bound for Pune, Shirdi and Sinnar's industrial belt. Dense commercial activity along the route further slows movement, making its expansion a long-pending demand from commuters and local businesses.Once completed, the widened and asphalted corridor is expected to accommodate nearly double the current traffic volume, easing daily congestion and resolving persistent bottlenecks. The civic body is likely to fast-track execution to meet the Kumbh Mela deadline.