MSIDC's Rs 3,923 Crore Elevated Highway Set to Transform the Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur Belt
Pune's northeastern industrial belt just got a massive infrastructure boost. The state cabinet in April had given its in-principal approval to spend Rs 3,900 crore to improve the Talegaon–Chakan–Shikrapur stretch, which connects the Mumbai-Pune and Pune-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar national highways, to address severe traffic congestion, and the Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation will execute the project on a BOT basis. The exact approved figure works out to Rs 3,923.89 crore highway project (excluding GST and minor mineral charges; full DPR estimate is approximately Rs 6,499 crore) on NH-548D.
The engineering plan is split into two distinct stretches. Under the approved plan, the stretch from Talegaon to Chakan will feature an elevated four-lane highway, along with a parallel four-lane at-grade road, while from Chakan to Shikrapur, a six-lane at-grade highway will be constructed. Covering a total length of 53.2 km, it connects Talegaon, Chakan, and Shikrapur, and with a current traffic load of 40,839 PCU/day, the project aims to improve capacity and connectivity.
On the ground, this means land acquisition and a tolling framework are already being finalised. Tolling will follow NHAI policy, and 38.79 hectares of land will be acquired. The concession period will last up to 30 years or as determined by financial feasibility, and the toll collecting system will make use of GPS-based technology or 100 per cent FASTag to guarantee real-time monitoring.
Execution is now moving from paperwork to pace. Tenders were floated in late 2025, with construction timelines of two to two-and-a-half years. For a corridor that has struggled with bumper-to-bumper traffic for years, that's a realistic window for homebuyers and industries alike to plan around.
Why does this matter beyond just faster commutes? The highway will start at Talegaon on NH-48 (Mumbai–Pune Expressway), pass through Chakan, and finish at Shikrapur on NH-753, and is expected to function as an outer ring road for Pune, reducing pressure on internal city roads. The Chakan MIDC area, already a hub for automobile and manufacturing companies, will benefit from improved logistics and reduced transport costs.
The real estate ripple effect is already visible in warehousing data. Pune's overall warehousing market recorded approximately 7.4 million sq. ft. of leasing in 2025, a 10 per cent increase over the previous year, and notably, the Talegaon–Chakan corridor alone contributed nearly 70 per cent of this leasing activity. Adding to this momentum, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has also approved a Multi-Modal Logistics Park for Talegaon, which would integrate road and rail freight handling and significantly reduce transit costs for exporters.
Connectivity gains don't stop at the corridor's edges either. The Pune Ring Road's western section, targeted for completion by May 2027, will directly benefit the Talegaon belt, connecting it to Hinjewadi IT Park, Lohegaon Airport, and PCMC without traversing city arteries, changing the commute calculus for the entire western corridor. Further west, via the Mumbai–Pune Expressway and the new connecting link at Lonavala, Mumbai is approximately a 90-minute drive, placing the Navi Mumbai International Airport and JNPT within reach.
For homebuyers and investors tracking Pune's outer belt, this corridor is worth watching closely. An elevated highway that cuts commute time, an industrial base that's already pulling record warehousing demand, and a direct link to two expressways and an upcoming international airport is a rare combination for a single stretch of road. As tenders move to construction over the next two years, expect land values and project launches along Talegaon, Chakan, and Shikrapur to track this progress step by step.
