PMRDA invites consultancy proposals for twin tunnel feasibility study

Pune: The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has invited proposals for appointing a consultancy agency to conduct feasibility study for the Yerawada-Katraj twin tunnel project.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis chaired a PMRDA meeting at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai on February 12 and okayed the project in-principle.

According to the CM, the tunnel will ensure seamless travel between Yerawada and Katraj, one of the city’s most congested stretches.

The 14.5-km stretch between Yerawada and Katraj sees heavy traffic throughout the day. The planned project is expected to significantly reduce travel time and ease congestion on arterial roads.

On March 28, PMRDA published tender inviting appointment of consultancy agency to conduct a feasibility study for the construction of twin tunnel/double-decker twin tunnel (underground), approximately 20 km in length, starting at Yerawada and terminating at Katraj with various spur and escape route

Prabhakar Vasikar, superintending engineer, PMRDA, said, “We have floated a global tender and mentioned three-month period for feasibility report.”

The feasibility study will assess the technical, economic and financial viability of the project and prepare a detailed feasibility report (DFR). It will also explore implementation models, including engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and public-private partnership (PPP), with options like build-operate-transfer (BOT) and hybrid annuity model (HAM).