Pune: A long-awaited solution to one of Maharashtra’s most congested industrial corridors moved a step closer to reality on Saturday with the laying of the foundation stone for the 53.2km Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur elevated corridor by Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.“The Talegaon-Chakan junction is notorious for endless congestion. Heavy industrial traffic often brings movement to a standstill for hours, affecting even travellers on the Pune-Nashik highway. The elevated corridor will separate industrial and local traffic, significantly improving mobility,” Dilip Batwal, secretary of the Federation of Chakan Industries, said.Daily commuters stressed the need for timely execution. “We have spent years listening to promises while losing three to four hours every day in traffic. This is not commuting, it is punishment. Govt must ensure the project is completed within the promised timeline,” Prashant Shinde, an automobile engineer who travels between Talegaon and Chakan, said.Industrial workers said prolonged congestion affected both productivity and family life. “We leave home before sunrise and still reach work late because trucks occupy the entire stretch. After an 8-10-hour shift, another two hours are lost in traffic. Our families suffer because of this daily ordeal,” Santosh Jadhav, a machine operator in a Chakan manufacturing unit, said.Commercial vehicle operators also highlighted the economic costs of congestion. “There are days when trucks barely move for an hour. Fuel is wasted, deliveries are delayed and everyone loses money. This corridor must be completed on priority,” Rahul Alhat, a transport contractor operating across Maharashtra, said.Industry representatives said the elevated road would be a gamechanger for logistics and road safety by segregating long-distance freight movement from local traffic. Faster movement of goods is expected to strengthen the competitiveness of the Chakan industrial belt, home to several multinational automobile and engineering companies.For many workers, however, the project represents more than improved connectivity. “This is perhaps the last hope to solve a problem that has cost countless lives. Many accident victims on this stretch were industrial workers, some left permanently disabled and unable to earn a livelihood. The corridor carries immense hope for people like us,” Janardhan Bhadale, an operator employed in a Chakan manufacturing unit, said.GRAPHICThe project is expected to ease chronic traffic congestion, improve industrial logistics and enhance road safety along a route that serves as the backbone of the state’s manufacturing sectorIt forms part of a broader connectivity push that also includes the 31.5km Hadapsar-Yavat elevated highway on the Pune-Solapur route and another elevated corridor on the Pune-Ahilyanagar highwayFor the industrial belts of Maval, Khed and Shirur tehsils, where thousands of workers and freight vehicles navigate severe bottlenecks every day, the project brings renewed optimism after years of delays and mounting frustrationThe existing Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur stretch has long been plagued by traffic jams, poor travel speeds and frequent accidentsTraffic police data indicated that more than 1,000 people lost their lives on the corridor over the past five years, while commuters routinely spent hours navigating congestion. During peak periods, travelling just 10km can take more than two hoursThe impact has been felt across the industrial ecosystem. Automobile, engineering and manufacturing companies in the Chakan industrial cluster have had to adjust employee shifts and grapple with supply-chain disruptions caused by unpredictable travel times
