Travel on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway will be faster, with the 'Missing Link' project now almost ready

Some relief for commuters on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The much-awaited 13-km 'Missing Link' project is finally in its last stages.

The expressway between Khopoli and Sinhagad Institute (Pune) stands at 19 kilometers at present, much of which goes through the Lonavala-Khandala Ghat. With the new link, cars will not have to traverse the Ghat, cutting down the journey by about 30 minutes. This will make commuting safer and more convenient.

Named after Yashwantrao Chavan, this expressway was inaugurated in 2002 and handles approximately 75,000 vehicles daily. On holidays and weekends, this number swells to 110,000 to 120,000. This often leads to traffic jams and bottlenecks.

According to Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) officials, the technical work on the project is nearly complete. All approvals and formalities will be completed by the end of December, after which it is expected to be inaugurated early in the new year.

Currently, vehicles in the Ghat section have to share the expressway and the old Mumbai-Bangalore Highway (NH-4). Here, the 10-lane road (6 on the expressway and 4 on NH-4) is reduced to just 6 lanes. During the rainy season, landslides and vehicle breakdowns often cause traffic jams. This problem will be eliminated once the new link is completed.

This link, starting from Khopoli and ending at the Sinhagad Institute, is being built using modern design and technology. It includes:

• Two eight-lane tunnels (1.75 km and 8.92 km long)
• Two eight-lane viaducts (790 m and 650 m long)

A 640-meter-long cable-stayed bridge, which will be built 100 meters above the Tiger Valley.