The Maharashtra Government has granted administrative approval for the first phase of the 14-lane Virar-Alibaug Multi-Modal Transport Corridor (MMTC), an ambitious access-controlled corridor aimed at improving connectivity across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and linking key infrastructure projects, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), the Navi Mumbai International Airport, and the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link.
The first phase of the 126.06-km corridor is estimated at Rs 31,793.47 crore, according to a resolution issued by the Urban Development Department on Thursday.
The corridor is proposed through 104 villages across Vasai, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Ambernath, Panvel, Uran, Pen, and Alibaug talukas, and will connect several major highways and expressways, including NH-48 (Mumbai–Ahmedabad), NH-848 (Mumbai-Agra), NH-61 (Kalyan-Murbad-Nirmal), the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway, Mumbai-Pune Expressway, and NH-66 (Mumbai-Goa Highway). Nine interchanges have been proposed along the route.
The corridor is expected to ease congestion on Mumbai’s saturated road network, reduce travel time by around 90 minutes, and improve connectivity to ports, logistics hubs, and upcoming infrastructure projects across the MMR.
In the first phase, a 96.41-km stretch from Navghar in Vasai taluka to Balavali in Pen taluka will be constructed. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has been appointed the implementing agency and authorised to execute the project on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis under the public-private partnership model, said officials.
The decision follows approvals granted during the Cabinet Infrastructure Committee meeting held on March 11.
According to the government resolution, the total project cost includes a construction cost of Rs 21,533.66 crore, along with escalation, contingency, financing, GST, insurance, and interest during construction. Separately, the Cabinet had in June 2025 approved Rs 22,250 crore for land acquisition and Rs 14,763 crore towards interest liabilities, taking the broader Phase 1 estimate to Rs 37,013 crore.
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The government has also approved viability gap funding (VGF) of Rs 6,259.32 crore, amounting to 19.80 per cent of the project cost, based on a proposed toll rate of Rs 765 for cars and jeeps and a 40-year concession period. The proposal will now be sent to the Centre’s Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) for approval.
The corridor will have toll collection through a fully digital system based on FASTag, GPS, and other advanced technologies, with toll charges linked to actual distance travelled through the proposed nine interchanges.
The state has fixed a three-year construction deadline for the project. It has also directed that the common stretch overlapping with the NHAI’s VME Spur project near Mote Karanjade be completed on priority within one-and-a-half years.
