The much-awaited Solapur elevated road project is getting closer to reality. This project involves building a four-lane flyover bridge that will bypass the growing city of Solapur. 

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has now invited bids from construction companies to build this 10-kilometer long bridge.

The government had earlier approved two separate bypass bridges for traffic going towards Vijaypura (Bijapur), Hyderabad, and Pune. Later, Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced in April that these two bridges would be combined into one long corridor. This new corridor will have two-lane service roads and six entry and exit ramps, built using a special funding model (hybrid annuity mode). The estimated cost of the project is Rs 966 crore. Its main goals are to reduce traffic jams, make roads safer, and improve connections.

Solapur's city chief, Sachin Ombase, told TOI that they've finished getting the land for the first part of the project. Land acquisition for the second part is happening now and will be done next week. He also mentioned that the updated project design has helped save money on land acquisition.

Since February, there have been six deadly accidents in Solapur city involving heavy vehicles. A nearby power plant (National Thermal Power Corporation) means a lot of heavy trucks come and go. These trucks, along with those traveling to and from Pune, Hyderabad, and Vijaypura, will be rerouted by the new corridor.

A senior NHAI official explained that it's a "hybrid annuity project," meaning the government pays a large part of the cost, and the builder pays the rest. The builder can then get their money back through toll charges. They expect many builders to be interested and hope the actual construction starts in October.