Mumbai, Dec 11 (IANS): The Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway (NMSCE) will be re-named after Shiv Sena's founder-patriarch, the late Balasaheb Thackeray, an official said on Wednesday.

A decision to the effect was taken at a cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, to the proposal by minister Eknath Shinde.

The NMSCE, also known as Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg, will connect the state capital Mumbai with the second capital Nagpur in Vidarbha, via the expressway.

The previous BJP-led government headed by former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had prepared a proposal to name it after the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The then ruling partner Shiv Sena had demanded it be named after the late Balasaheb Thackeray, but it was not conceded.

The under-construction project is estimated to cost around Rs 55,000 crore and the eight-lane expressway will be 701 km long linking the country's commercial capital with the orange capital.

Running through 10 districts and touching around 390 villages, it will cut the travel time from the existing around 15 hours to barely eight hours, proving a boon to people in both cities and en route in the towns and villages by opening up employment opportunities.

Earlier, there were demands to name it after several prominent personalities including Mahatma Gandhi, Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.