The 140-km stretch of Pune-Satara highway will get as many as 13 flyovers as well as 29 vehicular and 16 pedestrian underpasses. Of these, 10 flyovers will be in Satara district, while Pune will have three. Also, three major bridges — two in Satara and one in Pune — will come up.

Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (RInfra), which is giving the 140-km stretch of the Pune-Satara Corridor from Dehu Road in Pune to Shindewadi in Satara a makeover, has got the approval from the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI) to the construct underpasses and flyovers.

NHAI project director Vipin Sharma said, “The project was already sanctioned but due to public demand, we gave RInfra an in-principle nod.” NHAI officials said RInfra can be innovative in its design but it has to stick to the “standard procedure”.

The underpasses and flyovers on the highway would come up at Ajantha Chowk, Limb Phata, Bhuinj Phata, Surur Phata and Joshi Vihir. All the flyovers are 895 m long (including approaches) and 25 m wide. The flyovers at Katraj and Surur will have three lanes (95 m long and 12.5 m wide). In Pune stretch of the highway, a six-lane flyover will come up at Nasarapur junction and Nagar junction and a three-lane flyover will be at old Katraj bypass junction, beside the existing flyover.

RInfra officials said construction of the underpasses and flyovers was not part of the agreement that was signed between the NHAI and RInfra in 2010. “However, RInfra, in the interest of users, trespassers and local villagers and their safety and security, understood the necessity and approached NHAI with the proposal.”

Rinfra is also setting up swanky toll plazas on the corridor. The Khed Shivapur toll plaza will have 20 lanes and the one at Anewadi will have 16 lanes. At present, Khed Shivapur toll plaza has 10 lanes — five for commuters travelling from Pune to Satara and the rest for commuters travelling from Satara to Pune. Anewadi toll plaza has eight lanes at present, RInfra officials said.

NHAI awarded the project for widening the Pune-Satara highway from four lanes to six to RInfra in January 2010 on DBFOT (Design, Built, Finance, Operate and Transfer) basis.