CIDCO plans flyover at Kalamboli to cut travel time between Pune and Navi Mumbai airport

The proposed site of the NMIA falls in the Kopar-Panvel region, which would have required travellers using the expressway to enter Panvel and then head to the airport. CIDCO officials said with the interchange, a person will be able to reach the airport from the Wakad junction in Pune within 90 minutes.

“We have been planning inter-city and local transport connectivity for the proposed airport for years. The proposed plan is being done in consultation with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). As of now, the plan is to make an interchange at the Kalamboli junction where two major roads – the Sion-Panvel highway and the Mumbai-Pune expressway – meet. This will allow travellers from Pune to head to the airport effectively,” said Soma Vijay Kumar, chief general manager (airport & transport), CIDCO.

The junction witnesses heavy traffic during morning and evening peak hours. The proposed plan will add at least eight lanes to divert the airport crowd, in addition to the four-lane road at Kalamboli. “We will float a tender to appoint a consultant for the project. Our in-house consultant, Mumbai JNPT Port Road Company Ltd, too will study the project. As it is at a conceptual stage, we are working on the finer details,” said a senior NHAI official.

The cost of the flyover is estimated to be around Rs 50 crore. “It is essentially going to be a two-level flyover, which means it will be constructed above the existing Mumbai-Pune expressway. While travellers will have to climb over the flyover to reach the airport, on their return they will have to descend from it and join the expressway. Once the final design is ready and tender is floated, it could be ready within three years,” Kumar said.

As the land acquisition process for the proposed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje International Airport at Purandar is yet to begin, residents of Pune expect to make the most of the NMIA. “It is a good plan. At present, we have to drive to the Mumbai airport for international flights or for domestic destinations not served by the Pune airport. The drive till Vile Parle from Navi Mumbai is equally time-taking and so we try to reach Mumbai a day in advance. The interchange should be planned well and reserved only for airport users to avoid traffic congestion during peak hours,” said Swanand Wagle, an engineer and a Pune resident.