Pune: A proposed 14-lane road near the Atal Setu sea bridge that will connect to Pune via a ring road will bring down traffic on Mumbai-Pune Expressway by 50 per cent, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Sunday.

The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways was talking about road plans for Mumbai-Bengaluru at an alumni event organised by COEP Technological University on the occasion of Engineer's Day.

"There is huge traffic on Mumbai-Pune Expressway. A 14-lane road will be built near Atal Setu, which will further connect to Pune via a ring road and then onwards to Bengaluru. This road will bring down traffic on Mumbai-Pune Expressway by 50 per cent," he said.

The Atal Setu is the country's longest sea bridge and connects Sewri in Mumbai to Navi Mumbai.

Speaking at the event, Gadkari said India was ranked third in the world in the automobile sector and in the next 25 years all vehicles will run on electricity and not fossil fuels.

"Our technology should be economical. We can use garbage to make roads. Around 80 lakh tonnes of garbage has been used to build new roads. There is huge scope for researchers in this sector," Gadkari asserted.

Stressing on the Centre's Atmanirbhar (self reliance) concept, he said India needs "smart villages" rather than smart cities.

"The standard of living of farmers should improve. Only then we can call them atmanirbhar," he pointed out.