With traffic volumes projected to rise further, especially due to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport, authorities are already planning the next phase: widening the expressway from six to 10 lanes.
All about missing link
The 13.3-km Missing Link connects Khopoli to Kusgaon, allowing vehicles to bypass the congested ghat section of Lonavala–Khandala, as per The Indian Express. This stretch currently handles around 1.5 lakh vehicles daily and is prone to heavy traffic and delays. The new eight-lane bypass is expected to reduce travel time by nearly 30 minutes and shorten the distance by about six kilometres.
The project features two twin tunnels, 1.68 km and 8.87 km long along with a 650-metre cable-stayed bridge which stands 182 metres high. Officials say the link is crucial to eliminating a long-standing blockage and improve traffic flow on the corridor.
Meanwhile, MSRDC also plans to widen the existing six-lane expressway to 10 lanes as Navi Mumbai International Airport will soon be fully operational. The new Missing Link already has eight lanes, which is a bit of a mismatch with the older stretch.
To address this, a proposal has been prepared to acquire around 100 hectares of land for the expansion. The project is estimated to cost over ₹ 5,000 crore. Work is expected to begin after the monsoon and could take up to five years to complete. Officials say the goal is to ensure smoother traffic movement across the entire route.
How the expressway evolved
Before the expressway was built, the National Highway 4 connected Mumbai and Pune via a 192-km two-lane road through hilly terrain, leading to long travel times. Rising traffic, from 60,755 passenger car units in 1997 to projections of one lakh by 2004, demanded a high-speed corridor.
The 94.6-km expressway was completed in just 27 months and opened in 2000. It included 17 viaducts, 26 underpasses, two railway overbridges, and a 5.7-km tunnel, with over 1,000 hectares of land acquired.
Despite this, traffic merging near the Khalapur toll plaza and the narrow stretch near Khandala causes congestion. Now, with the Missing Link set to open, these issues are expected to be resolved.
