Mumbai-Pune Missing Link Nears Completion

The long-awaited Missing Link on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway is now 96 per cent complete, with final handover expected by September 2025. Originally slated for completion in March 2024, the Rs 66 billion project promises to cut travel time between the two cities by 30 minutes and bypass the accident-prone Khandala and Lonavala ghat sections.

Executed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the 5.7-km straight-line route connects the Khopoli exit to Sinhgad Institute, reducing the existing 19.8-km stretch. Featuring a mix of tunnels and viaducts, the project includes Asia’s widest twin tunnels—measuring 8.9 km and 1.75 km at 23.3 metres wide—and a 650-metre cable-stayed bridge soaring 180 metres above Khandala Valley.

While one viaduct has been completed, the second is still under construction and may face weather-related delays with the onset of monsoon. MSRDC officials attribute the repeated extensions to the project’s technical complexity, including tunnelling beneath Lonavala Lake and constructing in high-rainfall terrain.

Launched in March 2019, the Missing Link is expected to significantly reduce emissions, fuel use, and road accidents. It aligns with India’s climate goals by cutting idle time and promoting safer, sustainable urban transport infrastructure.