The inauguration of the project coincided with the Maharashtra Foundation Day.
CM Fadnavis inaugurated the Missing Link at the Khalapur (Raigad district) end of the expressway and then drove a vehicle on the Lonavala-bound carriageway of the project. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was sitting next to him in the vehicle.
The Missing Link project connects Khopoli on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district and is expected to make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the ‘ghat’ (mountain pass) section.
Developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) at a cost of Rs 6,700 crore, the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It bypasses the steep and accident-prone Khandala or Bhor ‘ghat’ (mountain pass) section that frequently witnesses traffic congestion, especially during weekends and on public holidays.
The project forms part of a modern 19.16-km corridor that also includes widening of a 5.86-km six-lane section between Khalapur and Khopoli interchange to eight lanes, the MSRDC said in a release.
Officials said the Missing Link will reduce the Mumbai-Pune travel distance by around 6 km and cut the journey time by 20 to 30 minutes.
Initially, only light motor vehicles and buses will be allowed on the new stretch, while heavy goods vehicles will continue to use the existing ghat route due to safety considerations.
Authorities clarified that no toll hike has been proposed in connection with the project, including at the Khalapur toll plaza in Raigad district.
The tunnels were constructed using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) and involved extensive geological studies across varying rock formations in the Sahyadri ranges, the MSRDC said.
Tunnel No. 1 measures 1.58 km, while Tunnel No. 2 is 8.86 km-long. The tunnels are about 23.5 metres wide and are among the widest road tunnels globally, officials said, adding that an application has been submitted for recognition in the Guinness Book of Records.
The 650-metre viaduct features what officials described as India’s tallest road cable-stayed bridge, with pylons rising 182 metres and supported by 240 stay cables. The bridge underwent international testing, including wind tunnel, fatigue and tensile tests.
Tunnel No. 2 passes nearly 180 metres below the Lonavala lake level, making excavation and blasting technically challenging, the release said.
The route was executed in difficult mountainous terrain marked by heavy rainfall, strong winds and low visibility, it added.
According to the MSRDC, the project is expected to improve road safety by bypassing accident-prone ghat sections and reduce fuel consumption, resulting in estimated daily savings of around Rs 1 crore while lowering pollution levels.
The approximately 95-km-long Mumbai-Pune Expressway is India’s first access-controlled highway.
