In March 1997 the State Government entrusted the ambitious project to the newly set up Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). Admits the MSRDC officials: ``The work was gigantic - 94 km fully concretised road, with six lanes, 1.5, metre protection wall all along the expressway, five big bridges, 17 viaducts, 26 underpasses, 20 overpasses, 135 HP drains, 81 culverts, 31 pedestrian roads, four interchanges and five twin tunnels. Even we were scared at the initial stage. But now we are confident of completing it before the schedule.''

After visiting the entire stretch from Dehu Road to Kalamboli, it was obvious why Gadkari and MSRDC officials were so sure about completing the expressway by the end of this year. All the contractors are working round-the-clock to meet the target. All the procedural corners have been cut.

If the work is delayed, the contractor would entail penalty of up to Rs 25 lakh for a day's delay and bonus would be given if the work was completed before the deadline.

MSRDC has pressed into service a number of modern machines, which they claim, are being used for the first time in the country. Paver machine, which constructs 4X1 metre concrete stretch within a minute, high capacity crusher, manufacturing 50 truckloads within an hour, sand making machines, concrete making machines, which manufacture 60 to 120 cubic concrete per hour, vibrators, rollers, spreaders, graders and tippers with the capacity of 25 tonnes.

MSRDC has allotted the work of five twin tunnels to Konkan Railway Corporation. The tunnels, having a length of 5724 meters, will have the modern ventilation system and fire fighting machinery. The twin tunnels will be at Bhatan, Madap, Khandala and two at Kamshet. MSRDC officials maintain that the tunnel at Bhatan would be the biggest in Asia. The work of four twin tunnels, except Khandala, is almost completed while the work of approach roads was in progress.

Gadkari claims that MSRDC's project was expected to combat the recession in the construction sector. ``We need 1500 tonnes of cement and hundreds of tonnes of steel everyday,'' he said and asked whether it would not help the construction sector to come out of the present situation.

Gadkari said 80 per cent filling and digging work and 60 per cent work of bridges, over and under passes had been completed so far. He added that MSRDC had spent Rs 368 crore out of the Rs 1650 crore which is the project cost.

Enthused by the response, Gadkari was planning to come out with yet another series of bonds to raise the funds. CRISIL, the credit rating agency, has accorded AAA rating to MSRDC.

The minister said MSRDC would levy toll on the vehicles, passing through the expressway, for a period of 30 years to recover the expenses. He said Rs 50, Rs 100 and Rs 150 would be levied on cars, trucks and buses, respectively. According to Gadkari, the expressway would reduce the fuel cost and also period of journey and would ensure more safety. ``You can run the vehicleat a speed of 120 km per hour. We will ensure uninterrupted plying of the vehicles from Dehu Road to Kalamboli,'' he said.

Gadkari said the need of having six- lane expressway was felt since the existing national highway 4 was originally designed in 1880 by the British. ``Today it handles 55,000 passenger car units (PCU) per day and by the time expressway will open it will cross 77,000 PCUs. Traffic congestion and increasing number of accidents were the other factors which forced the government to undertake the project,'' Gadkari said.

Gadkari expects that the expressway would bring in a work culture that is hitherto unknown in India. He has ordered extensive tree plantation along the expressway. He said MSRDC had not cut a single tree obstructing the expressway. MSRDC has retransplanted 500 tree huge trees while 70,000 saplings would be transplanted all along the expressway to make it India's first ``green way''.