Jalna Nanded Expressway Contracts Awarded

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has moved closer to transforming connectivity in Marathwada with the 179.85 km Jalna Nanded Expressway project. On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, four of India’s leading infrastructure firms — APCO Infratech Pvt. Ltd., Montecarlo Ltd. (MCL), PNC Infratech, and Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd. (RSIIL) — emerged as the lowest bidders for the project’s six construction packages.

The expressway, designed as a 6-lane access-controlled corridor with a speed limit of 120 kmph, will directly link Nanded with the 701 km Mumbai Nagpur Expressway (Samruddhi Mahamarg or ME-2), significantly cutting travel time between Nanded and Mumbai from 11 hours to just 6 hours.

However, the financial bids have raised concerns, as all winning bids were significantly higher than MSRDC’s project cost estimates, sparking a possible deadlock in the awarding process.

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Jalna Nanded Expressway Project Overview

Project Length: 179.85 km
Configuration: 6-lane access-controlled highway
Speed Limit: 120 kmph
Northern Terminal: Samruddhi Mahamarg (Mumbai–Nagpur Expressway)
Estimated Construction Period: 900 days (approx. 2.5 years)
Target Completion: By 2027 (if awarded on time)

The Jalna Nanded Expressway is part of Maharashtra’s ambitious 5000 km expressway master plan. By connecting Nanded directly to Samruddhi Mahamarg, the project aims to boost trade, logistics, industrial development, and regional connectivity across Marathwada.

Jalna Nanded Expressway Bidding Timeline

April 2023: MSRDC invited RfQ (Request for Qualification) applications. A total of 28 firms applied.
December 2023: 18 firms qualified for the RfP (Request for Proposal) round.
January 2024: Price bids were invited with a construction timeline of 900 days.
April 2024: MSRDC received 23 bids from 10 firms.
May 2024: APCO, Montecarlo, PNC, and Roadway Solutions declared lowest bidders.

This timeline highlights the keen competition and strong industry participation in one of Maharashtra’s most crucial infrastructure projects.

Jalna Nanded Expressway Financial Bid Results

Here is the package-wise breakdown of bids, estimated costs, and lowest bidders:

Jalna Nanded Expressway Package – 1 (JNE-1)

Length: 36.09 km
Chainage: Panshendra (-0.09 km) to Sarwadi (Ner) 36.00 km
Estimated Cost: ₹1949.67 crore

Firm	Bid (₹ crore)
APCO	2649
NCC	2740
Afcons	2798

Lowest Bidder: APCO Infratech Pvt. Ltd.

Jalna Nanded Expressway Package – 2 (JNE-2)

Length: 30.55 km
Chainage: Sarwadi (Ner) km 36+000 to Patoda Kh. km 66+550
Estimated Cost: ₹1870.52 crore

Firm	Bid (₹ crore)
APCO	2522
Montecarlo	2589
NCC	2639
IRCON	2677

Lowest Bidder: APCO Infratech Pvt. Ltd.

Jalna Nanded Expressway Package – 3 (JNE-3)

Length: 32.44 km
Chainage: 66.55 to 98.99 km
Estimated Cost: ₹1904.33 crore

Firm	Bid (₹ crore)
Montecarlo	2562
NCC	2678
APCO	2723

Lowest Bidder: Montecarlo Ltd.

Jalna Nanded Expressway Package – 4 (JNE-4)

Length: 28.85 km
Chainage: 98.99 to 127.84 km
Estimated Cost: ₹1807.70 crore

Firm	Bid (₹ crore)
PNC	2508
Oriental	2599.72
J Kumar	2634
Montecarlo	2688

Lowest Bidder: PNC Infratech Ltd.

Jalna Nanded Expressway Package – 5 (JNE-5)

Length: 32.19 km
Chainage: 127.84 to 160.03 km
Estimated Cost: ₹1935.95 crore

Firm	Bid (₹ crore)
Montecarlo	2663
Roadway Sol.	2753
PNC	2788
IRCON	2857

Lowest Bidder: Montecarlo Ltd.

Jalna Nanded Expressway Package – 6 (JNE-6)

Length: 19.82 km + 4.48 km spur
Chainage: 160.03 to 179.85 km (includes Hingole Gate–Chhatrapati Chowk spur)
Estimated Cost: ₹1974.19 crore

Firm	Bid (₹ crore)
Roadway Sol.	2560.60
GRIL	2743.07
Montecarlo	2785
APCO	2801
IRCON	2856

Lowest Bidder: Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd.

Jalna Nanded Expressway Winners Summary

APCO Infratech Pvt. Ltd. → 2 Packages (JNE-1, JNE-2)
Montecarlo Ltd. (MCL) → 2 Packages (JNE-3, JNE-5)
PNC Infratech Ltd. → 1 Package (JNE-4)
Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd. (RSIIL) → 1 Package (JNE-6)

This package distribution ensures diversification of workload among multiple contractors, reducing project risk and ensuring faster parallel progress.

The Cost Challenge: Bids Higher Than Estimates

While the bidding results are encouraging in terms of competition, there’s a serious concern:

All winning bids are 30–36% higher than MSRDC’s cost estimates.
Example: Package JNE-1, where APCO’s bid (₹2649 crore) is 35.87% higher than the estimated ₹1949 crore.
Similar cost overruns exist across all packages.

This creates a deadlock situation:

MSRDC cannot legally negotiate without altering scope or quality.
Either the budget must be revised upwards to award contracts, or the bidding process may be scrapped and re-invited.

This uncertainty could delay project execution by several months.

Maharashtra’s Expressway Vision

The Jalna Nanded Expressway is part of Maharashtra’s ambitious plan to build a 5000 km expressway network. Other ongoing projects include:

136.80 km Pune Ring Road
126 km Virar–Alibaug Multi-Modal Corridor (VAMMC)
127 km Nagpur–Gondia Expressway
182 km Nagpur–Chandrapur Expressway
156 km Bhandara–Gadchiroli Expressway

Conclusion

The declaration of APCO, Montecarlo, PNC, and Roadway Solutions as lowest bidders marks a significant step in the Jalna Nanded Expressway’s journey. Once finalized, the project will:

Cut Mumbai–Nanded travel time to 6 hours.
Provide seamless connectivity to the Samruddhi Mahamarg.
Boost Marathwada’s industrial and agricultural economy.
Create thousands of jobs in construction and allied sectors.

However, the cost escalation challenge remains the biggest hurdle. Whether MSRDC revises its budget or re-invites bids will decide the project’s timeline.

For now, the Jalna–Nanded Expressway stands as a key piece in Maharashtra’s expressway puzzle, promising to transform connectivity in the region.

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