Mumbai-Pune Expressway: India’s most expensive national highway to travel

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting two key cities is considered to be the most expensive to travel, keeping in mind the higher toll charged compared to other national highways, according to media reports.

The toll on the Mumbai-Pune expressway is Rs 320 for a four-wheeler one-way between the two cities. The toll per kilometre amounts to Rs 3.40, which is Rs 1 more per kilometre compared to the average toll fare of other expressways in the country, according to the reports.

Constructed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the Mumbai-Pune Expressway was the country’s first access-controlled road, and the travel time between two cities has been reduced from 3 hours to just 1 hour.

The toll is increased by 6% annually but is implemented cumulatively at 18% after every three years. It was last revised in April 2023, when the toll was increased to Rs 320 from Rs 270 and Rs 495 for vehicles like minibuses and tempos instead of the current Rs 420.

The toll for two-axle trucks was increased to Rs 685 from the current Rs 585. Buses now pay Rs 940 from earlier Rs 797. Officials had said that the toll would remain the same till 2030, as there would not be any revisions after three years in 2026.

The expressway was constructed in 2002 at a cost of about Rs 1,630 crore. It starts in the Kalamboli area of Navi Mumbai and ends at Kiwale in Pune. It is one of the busiest routes, and the number of people plying the two cities has increased.

Under Vision 2047, the plan is to construct 50,000 km of access-controlled high speed national highways, up from the current 4,000 km.