Developing Maharashtra Road Master Plan in Collaboration with Stakeholders

In December 2022, Maharashtra Public Works Department selected LEA Associates South Asia Private Limited India in joint venture with LEA International Limited Canada, as consultants to aid in the development of the project titled, Preparation of Road Network Master Plan (RNMP) and updating the identified Core Road Network (CRN) for Maharashtra.

The state of Maharashtra boasts of an extensive road network, spanning approximately 3.3 lakh km, covering an area of 3.08 lakh sq km. The state's population stands at 12.43 crore, with around 52% residing in rural areas and 48% in urban regions. Acknowledged as a prominent industrial center, Maharashtra consistently contributes more than 14% to India's GDP. The state accommodates two major ports, Mumbai Port (MbPT) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), as well as 48 minor/intermediate ports. Moreover, Maharashtra claims approximately 58,000 sq km (19% of the state's total geographical area) as a prospective mineral region. Furthermore, Maharashtra secures fifth place in terms of domestic tourist visits (6.43%) and sits at the second rank for international tourist visits (17.6%) in the country. We, at LASA, take immense pride in undertaking the responsibility of preparing the Road Network Master Plan for Maharashtra, considering the state's dynamic nature and valuable contribution to the nation's progress.

Leveraging our extensive experience in developing Road Network Master Plans for other Indian states, conducting Road Network Analysis, establishing Growth Scenarios, and exploring Network Options, LASA has devised the Draft Road Network Master Plan for Maharashtra after actively soliciting input from a wide range of stakeholders within the state. We utilized their insights to create the Conceptual Network for the projected period up to 2041. This Draft Road Network Master Plan for Maharashtra was successfully completed in the first week of December 2023.

Consequently, LASA’s team working on the Maharashtra Road Master Plan Project completed stakeholder meeting with 21 Circle offices of 34 districts in the state. Starting from Jan 3 and concluding on Feb 22, 2024, these one and half month-long meetings were held with Maharashtra Public Works Department’s circle level officers including Superintendent Engineer, Executive Engineers, Deputy Engineers, Junior Engineers, Draftsman of relevant Division & sub division level, Zilla Parishad and PMGSY officials. These officials were presented the Draft Road Network Master Plan for Maharashtra for the horizon period up to 2041and sought their advice as well as recommendation to enhance the effectiveness of this study for implementation.

From LASA’s team working on this project, the following six employees with support from the LASA’s Mumbai, Gandhinagar and Hyderabad offices played an important role in the successful conduct of this workshop:

1. Prathamesh Deepak Saigaonkar, Senior Engineer, Traffic & Transportation
2. Prachi Sameer Sathe, GIS Manager, Traffic & Transportation
3. Vishakha Kiranrao Gondhali, Deputy Planner, Traffic & Transportation
4. Manish Dilip Patil, Deputy Planner, Traffic & Transportation
5. Rupesh Ram Gaikwad, Deputy Planner, Traffic & Transportation
6. Sneha George, Deputy Planner, Traffic & Transportation

In every step of the way, they were guided by B. M. Setty, Team Leader cum Road Network Master Planning Specialist, who is also Associate Director in LASA, and Dr. Renu Kumar, Transport Economist.

After developing Ayodhya City Vision 2047 (Uttar Pradesh India) and Third Masterplan for Chennai Metropolitan Area (Tamil Nadu, India), the Preparation of Road Network Master Plan (RNMP) for Maharashtra is yet another futuristic project delivered after extensive consultations with stakeholders including citizens.