Mumbai

The Mumbai-bound carriageway of the 13.3-km “missing link” on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway became fully operational on Saturday afternoon, completing the opening of the much-awaited corridor a day after the Pune-bound stretch was opened to traffic.

The project, designed to bypass a challenging section of the Bhor Ghat stretch, is expected to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Pune by around 25 to 30 minutes.

The corridor was inaugurated on Friday by Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.

While the Pune-bound carriageway was opened immediately after the inauguration, the Mumbai-bound section remained temporarily closed due to post-event dismantling work.

Officials from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation said the delay was caused by the removal of the stage, decorations, and related infrastructure set up for the inaugural event, followed by road-cleaning operations.

After the remaining material was cleared and the route was fully cleaned, vehicular movement on the Mumbai-bound carriageway began around noon on Saturday.

According to the expressway control room, traffic has remained smooth despite a significant flow of vehicles since the first phase of the project opened on Friday evening.

The Missing Link project connects Khopoli in Raigad district with Kusgaon in Pune district, making the expressway fully access-controlled.

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Developed by MSRDC, the project features two tunnels, two viaducts, and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. The new alignment is expected to significantly ease congestion and improve safety by bypassing the steep and accident-prone ghat section, which often witnesses traffic jams during weekends and public holidays.