Balasaheb Thackeray Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway between Nagpur and Mumbai was conceptualised by Devendra Fadnavs when he was Acting Chief Minister in 2015 and inaugurated by Narendra Modi on 11 December 2022. The PTI reported that the expressway is a crucial step towards improved connectivity and infrastructure across the country, and once completed, will reduce the travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai by 7 hours.
Apart from the economic benefits gained from the project, Nitin Jairam Gadkari has achieved a lot in terms of environmental factors as appointed minister of Road Transport and highways, including the initiative of the leopard-proofed wilderness corridors throughout the 701 km Samruddhi Expressway between Nagpur and Mumbai.
From the 701 km of roads, about 117 km passes through wildlife habitats, including the eco-sensitive zone of three sanctuaries; Tansa(corridor of Harishchandragad sanctuary), Katepurna, and the Karanja Sohol, called wildlife-focused areas. The highway, including nine overpasses and seventeen underpasses, has employed all the mitigation steps suggested by the forest department and the Road transport and highways department of India to prevent animals from becoming roadkill because of vehicles running over 150 km/h.
The highway not only reduces travel time drastically between the two states but helps do it safely in terms of human and animal protection.