Mumbai-Pune Expressway Essay Example

24 months at a cost of 350 million USD. The freeway consists of tunnels at five locations with four lanes each, totaling a length of 5724m. These tunnels are designed for traffic in both directions and have modern installations for airing, illuminating, and firefighting vehicles.

On December 8th, 1997, responsibility for this project was given to the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd.

The benefits of the Expressway include no signals or unsighted curves along the entire route which spans over 93km leading to reduced accidents and travel time. Additionally, there are savings in fuel consumption and faster crossing through Khandala Ghat resulting in reduced pollution levels.

However, constructing this Highway faced several challenges due to its rugged terrain which posed significant threats during construction such as boring through extremely hard rock formations.Approximately 500 trees obstructing construction were uprooted and transplanted elsewhere. In addition, large areas of fertile land had to be cleared for farming purposes in interior regions. The accessibility of work areas for material supply posed difficulties. The construction of roads in the area faced challenges due to the soil nature, leading to the decision to construct concrete roads.

An Environment Impact Assessment conducted by RITES raised concerns about water quality, deforestation, loss of rare vegetation and wildlife in the Ghats, as well as potential landslides. Rehabilitating human colonies also presented challenges. MSRDC successfully executed the project by recruiting experienced workers from public works departments and CIDCO. Furthermore, they hired employees on a commission basis from various sections to assist with land acquisition.

To ensure consistency in design standards, cost estimates, documentations,and oversee construction work during its commencement,a Steering Committee was established.It recommended technical standards and assisted with decision-making.

The committee also proposed appointing Project Management Consultants (PMC). This would allow MSRDC to focus on coordinating administrative tasks such as obtaining clearances and raising funds.The formation of committees comprising personnel from each PMC was suggested to maintain consistency throughout the tasks.The selection criteria for PMC included 75% weightage on technical command and 25% on financial command, while also ensuring that each PMC would handle only one section of the Expressway to prevent overburdening.

MSRDC and the Government of Maharashtra offered various facilities to contractors and consultants, aiming for fast and efficient work. These services resulted in a reduction in production costs by 8-10% due to timely completion. Some installations provided were project management consultants' site offices with standard equipment like Xerox, telephone, and pressman at MSRDC's expense. Additionally, MSRDC absorbed price increases in steel, bitumen, and cement. They reimbursed custom duty for importing new machinery and provided free land for site installations. As the construction stretch was 93 kilometers long, MSRDC requested oil companies to establish gasoline pumps.

During the construction of the Mumbai Pune Expressway, MSRDC took responsibility for diverting utility services such as telephone cables, water pipelines, and electrical lines. Furthermore, they adopted a proactive approach towards litigation by appointing a panel of experts to handle legal cases.In 2007, the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) ensured prompt compliance with court orders to minimize delays in rescheduling appropriate dates (Roadtraffic-technology.com, 2009; Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Ltd., 2007). The Mumbai-Pune Expressway can be accessed from various sources including the MSRDc website, Wikipedia, ExpressIndia, and the Dandekar/Mahajan EPW Paper. All of these sources were accessed on 11/12/2009 (Roadtraffic-technology.com, 2009; Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Ltd.,

2007).