Mumbai Pune Missing Link Project opens on May 1. Why is it significant?

The inauguration of the project coincided with the Maharashtra Foundation Day.

CM Fadnavis inaugurated the Missing Link at the Khalapur 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' section.

Developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation at a cost of ₹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' section that frequently witnesses traffic congestion, especially during weekends and on public holidays.