Govt approves Shaktipeeth Expressway redesign, cost now 1 lakh cr | Mumbai News
3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Apr 2, 2026 12:07 AM IST
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday approved the revised alignment of the Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway, increasing the length by 54 km, and project cost to Rs 1 lakh crore.
The revised alignment introduces part of the highway in Satara, taking the expressways length up from 802.592 km to 856.765 km. This has made the total project cost Rs 1 lakh crore, up from the initial cost of around Rs 80,000 crore.
Beginning at Wardha and ending in Sindhudurg, the revised alignment changes the portions of the Expressway in Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani, Solapur, Sangli and Kolhapur, introducing 40 km of the highway in Satara in two villages, Gondawale and Shikhar Shinganapur. With it, land acquisition of 8,760 hectares will be required.
The previous alignment had faced resistance from farmers along the route. Approved in February 2024, the initial notification for the land acquisition was canceled by October 2024, particularly for areas in Kolhapur district, where farmers had protested against the project, making it a major electoral issue during last Assembly polls.
As the expressway goes through fertile land giving high yields, used to cultivate sugarcane and other cash crops, farmers did not want to part with it.
The parallel Nagpur-Ratnagiri National Highway being extended was also bought up, with the second expressway framed as unnecessary. Environmental concerns were also highlighted with the route going through the Western Ghats and Konkan region.
Land acquisition was paused, till February 2025, when the Mahayuti government was back in power in the state.
Story continues below this ad
Instead, in August 2025, the Maharashtra State Roads Development Corporation (MSRDC) was asked to study and redesign alternative alignments.
The new alignment passes through 13 districts and 40 talukas of Wardha, Yavatmal, Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, and will connect 21 religious places including the major Shaktipeeths of Maharashtra– Mahur, Tuljapur, Kolhapur.
Land acquisition for the revised portions can begin now, said an official from the MSRDC. Joint measurement work in over one third of the villages is done, he added.
The six-lane greenfield corridor is expected to reduce the time taken between Goa and Nagpur from 18 hours to 8 hours. It connects connect central and western Maharashtra to Goa, linking religious sites along the way and boozing economic development along the route.
