Mumbai-Pune ‘missing link’ project 85% ready, deadline pushed to March 2025

The project aims to make the Mumbai Pune expressway zero- fatality corridor.

Mumbai Pune missing link project, Mumbai Pune missing link project extension, MSRDC, Mumbai-Pune Expressway deadline, Mumbai tunnel work, Indian express NEWS

A part of this tunnel lies 170 feet below the ground with the Lonavala lake above it, emerging near the Sinhgad Institute. (File Photo)

The under-construction Mumbai-Pune “missing link” project, which is now nearly 85 per cent ready, has seen another extension of deadline to March 2025.
Confirming this, vice-chairman and managing director Maharashtra State Road development Corporation (MSRDC) Anilkumar Gaikwad said that that since there are several challenges involved in execution of the project, the work is being done cautiously.

While the deadline for completion of the project, which costs Rs 6,600 crore, was earlier set at March 2024 and then later revised to January 2025. “Mumbai-Pune Expressway is one of the busiest road. The work of the missing link project, although is not affecting the traffic, is carried out with lot of caution to prevent any disturbance. Moreover, the project is facing significant challenge as the cable stayed bridge part of this alignment is coming at a height of almost 100 m of Khandala Valley,” Gaikwad said.

“The scope of the work is difficult and therefore the project is taking time. While the work has not slowed down, there are challenges that are being overcome to meet the targeted deadline,” he added. He further said that carrying out work during monsoon time is also a difficult task considering the scope of work
The 13-km “missing link” is part of the existing Mumbai Pune Expressway.

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The project alignment starts at Khopoli, bypasses the expressway through an 840-metre viaduct coming up at a height of 60 metre, enters a 1.75-km tunnel, then goes over the 640-metre cable-stayed bridge built at a height of 100 metre from Tiger valley at the Lonavala-Khandala section and thereafter enters another 8.9-km-long tunnel.

A part of this tunnel lies 170 feet below the ground with the Lonavala lake above it, emerging near the Sinhgad Institute. While the distance between these two end points — Khopoli and Sinhgad Institute — along the existing Mumbai-Pune expressway is 19 km, comprising steep slopes and the ghat section putting restriction on speed limit of vehicles, the “missing link” will cut the distance by 5.7 km between Khopoli and Sinhgad Institute, saving 20-30 minutes of commute time.

Besides, motorists won’t have to drive through the existing ghats and would be able to move faster at up to 120 kmph.

The project aims to make the Mumbai Pune expressway zero- fatality corridor.

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With the “missing link”, the MSRDC also aims to solve an annual worry during the monsoon — traffic gridlocks at Khandala due to falling boulders and morum from hillocks that flank the road.