Mumbai-Pune Expressway missing link project to be ready by April

The ₹6,695.37-crore project, being executed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), involves a complex combination of tunnels and cable-stayed bridges between Khalapur and Lonavala, one of the most congested stretches of the 95-km expressway

MUMBAI: Nearly 24 years after the Mumbai–Pune Expressway opened to the public, travel between the two cities is set to become faster with the completion of the long-delayed missing link project, now scheduled to open on April 1, 2026. Once operational, the project is expected to cut travel time by up to 25 minutes and reduce the expressway length by nearly 6 km.

Mumbai-Pune Expressway missing link project to be ready by April

The ₹6,695.37-crore project, being executed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), involves a complex combination of tunnels and cable-stayed bridges between Khalapur and Lonavala, one of the most congested stretches of the 95-km expressway.

According to MSRDC officials, the two ends of the cable-stayed bridge, a key component of the project, are expected to be connected next month, marking a major construction milestone. However, the project deadline has been pushed to April 2026 from January 2026 due to engineering challenges and adverse weather conditions.

“The project is now targeted for completion by April 1, 2026. The revised timeline accounts for the complexity of the terrain and difficult working conditions,” an MSRDC official said.

The missing link has seen multiple deadline revisions in the past, with earlier completion targets set for December 2025, September 2025, March 2025, January 2025 and March 2024.

As part of the project, the existing expressway has been widened from six to eight lanes over a 5.86-km stretch between the Khalapur toll plaza and the Khopoli exit. In addition, an entirely new 13.3-km eight-lane alignment is being constructed between the Khopoli exit and Kusgaon near the Sinhagad Institute.

The new alignment includes two tunnels measuring 1.68 km and 8.87 km, and two bridges spanning 900 metres and 650 metres. Once completed, the distance between Khopoli and Sinhagad Institute will reduce from the current 19 km to 13.3 km.

MSRDC officials said tunnelling work is nearly complete, with progress at 98.8%. Electrical and mechanical testing and commissioning are currently underway. One bridge has been completed, while construction of the second bridge is nearing completion, with girder erection and deck slab work around 90% finished.

The widening of the expressway between Khalapur and Khopoli has been completed, along with augmentation work at the Talegaon and Shedung toll plazas. Expansion work at the Khalapur toll plaza is currently in progress.

Overall, the Missing Link project is around 94% complete.

The revised project cost was approved by the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Infrastructure in August 2018. To recover the cost, a concession period of 15 years from May 1, 2030 to April 30, 2045 has been fixed, though the start date may be adjusted following the project’s completion in 2026.

Hyderabad-based Navayuga Engineering Company was awarded the tunnelling contract in February 2019, while Mumbai-based Afcons Infrastructure was appointed in March 2019 to construct the twin bridges.