Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has  announced that the long-delayed widening of the stretch into a six-lane highway is set to commence within the next three to four months. 

The project, which has been plagued by delays and has sadly contributed to numerous accidents, is now firmly back on track.

Addressing an event in Bhandara, where he inaugurated and laid foundation stones for various road infrastructure projects worth Rs1,053 crore under the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the state Public Works Department (PWD), Gadkari emphasized the critical need for this upgrade. 

He highlighted a grim statistic: the existing road had witnessed 54 fatalities and over 225 injuries due to the prolonged deferment of improvement work.

The primary reason for the extensive delay was issues with a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) operator, whose contract has now been officially terminated. 

With that hurdle cleared, Gadkari confirmed that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) is ready, and because land acquisition requirements are minimal, the work is expected to begin swiftly.