Three-day gridlock on Mumbai–Pune expressway revives urgency for missing link

Mumbai: The massive jam on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway has brought the focus on the Missing Link project, which is expected to be commissioned by mid-2026.

The Missing Link project has seen delays and missed deadlines, however, the jam spanning three-days has now rung alarm bells.

The Expressway is one of the busiest roads in India - and is a six-lane wide concrete toll expressway spanning nearly 100 kms connecting Mumbai and Pune via Raigad passing through the picturesque Sahyadri mountain ranges.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, officially Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway, is India’s first Expressway, and popularly called E-way among the youngsters.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Ltd (MSRDC) is the nodal agency for the project.

When the Shiv Sena-BJP government came to power in 1995, Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray gave a push to link India's financial capital of Mumbai to the state's cultural capital of Pune through a modern high-speed road.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, who was then the state’s Public Transport Department Minister in the government headed by then Chief Minister late Dr Manohar Joshi, implemented the project.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway was fully inaugurated and opened to the public in April 2002 when the Congress-NCP Democratic Front was in power under Vilasrao Deshmukh.

The Mumbai Pune Expressway consists of 6-lane cement concrete pavement with 2.5m wide paved shoulders on both sides having a length of 94 kms.

National Highway No. 4 from Shil Phata to Dehu Road is a 4-lane bituminous pavement with a length of 111 kms.

Currently, the Mumbai–Pune Expressway and National Highway 4 converge near the Khalapur toll plaza and separate again at the Khandala exit.

While the stretch between Adoshi Tunnel and Khandala exit is six-laned, it often handles traffic equivalent to ten lanes, causing regular congestion.

The area is known for steep gradients, sharp curves, and landslides during the monsoon, sometimes forcing the closure of lanes toward Mumbai.

These challenges underscored the need for the Missing Link project.

Due to decrease in speed and increase in time of travel in this section and in order to save time, vehicles move at a faster speed on the rest of the expressway which has resulted in an increase in number of accidents.

The length of the existing Mumbai Pune Expressway section from Khopoli exit to Sinhgad Institute is presently 19 kms.

This distance will be reduced to 13.3 kms after construction of this new missing link.

So, the total length of Expressway from Mumbai to Pune will be decreased by 6kms. Travel time will be reduced by 20-25 mins.