Mumbai-Pune Expressway ‘Missing Link’ Nears Completion, Travel Time To Cut By 30 Minutes Soon

Mumbai: The long-awaited ‘missing link’ on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway is nearing completion and could be inaugurated early next year, promising smoother, faster and safer travel for thousands of motorists.

The 13-km project, which bypasses the treacherous Lonavla-Khandala ghat stretch, aims to cut down travel time between Mumbai and Pune by at least 30 minutes. Currently, vehicles traveling between Khopoli and the Sinhgad Institute must cover 19 km through the ghat section, often facing bottlenecks, breakdowns and landslides.

First opened in 2002 and named after former chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan, the expressway carries around 75,000 vehicles daily, with numbers swelling to 1.1–1.2 lakh on weekends and holidays. The growing traffic often results in congestion, particularly where the expressway and the old Mumbai-Bengaluru highway (NH-4) merge, reducing 10 lanes to just six. The missing link will eliminate this chokepoint, providing a direct and uninterrupted passage.

According to officials of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the project is over 95 percent completed and finishing touches are now being applied, including technical clearances and safety inspections. The link is expected to be formally opened to the public in January after the completion of approvals by December. “All efforts are being made to complete the project on time,” an MSRDC spokesperson said, as quoted by News18.

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The ambitious infrastructure includes two state-of-the-art tunnels, 1.75 km and 8.92 km long, alongside two eight-lane viaducts measuring 790 m and 650 m. A standout feature is a 640-metre-long cable-stayed bridge rising 100 metres above the scenic Tiger Valley. The project also incorporates modern lighting systems and enhanced safety measures. Parts of the tunnel run as deep as 170 feet underground, with the Lonavala lake above, making it an engineering marvel.

The project, estimated to cost Rs 6,695 crore, is one of the largest undertaken by MSRDC. Officials believe it will not only cut travel time but also majorly reduce accident risks in the ghat section, long considered a dangerous stretch.

Once operational, the missing link is expected to ease traffic woes, improve freight movement, and boost connectivity between the two key cities. For lakhs of daily commuters and weekend travelers, the upgraded expressway promises a safer and more efficient journey into the new year.