Mumbai-Pune Expressway ‘Missing Link’ to open May 1, says Eknath Shinde
2 min readMumbaiUpdated: Apr 26, 2026 10:33 PM IST
The highly anticipated Missing Link on the Mumbai Pune Expressway will be inaugurated by the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on May 1. Only four wheelers and buses will be allowed to use the 13.3 km project for the first three months, and no additional toll will be charged.
This was announced by the deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde in a post on X on Sunday, after an inspection of the project that traverses hills and valleys.
“99% of the work on the Mumbai-Pune ‘Missing Link’ project is now complete, and it will significantly reduce traffic congestion in the ghat section, making travel faster and safer. This will free citizens from ghat traffic jams, and the boost to rapid transportation will also stimulate the economy,” he wrote.
The Missing Link is a 13.3 km alignment, made up of an 850 m viaduct, a 1.75 km tunnel, a 640 m cable-stayed bridge, and another 8.9 km tunnel through the hills. The cable-stayed bridge towers 180 m into the Tiger Valley, while the tunnels stretch almost 9 km into the hills and under Lonavala lake.
Not only will the winding Ghat section with steep inclines be optional on the route between Mumbai and Pune, but vehicles will also be able to bypass tourists visiting Lonavala and Khandala.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
