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Mumbai-bound exit on Mumbai-Pune Expressway to be shut for 6 months: Report
The closure would affect all types of vehicles, including light and heavy transport, travelling towards Panvel, Mumbra, and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust.
The exit towards Mumbai city in Panvel on the Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai-Pune Expressway will be shut for six months starting February 11, reported the Free Press Journal on Sunday.
The closure is due to the construction of a new flyover and an underpass at Kalamboli Circle as part of the Kalamboli Junction improvement project, which is being executed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).
The order was issued by Tirupati Kakade, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Navi Mumbai, under the Motor Vehicles Act. The closure will be enforced until the construction work is completed, the report said.
“Once the project is completed, the issue of traffic congestion at Kalamboli Circle will be solved,” DCP Kakade said.
Navi Mumbai traffic police officials said the closure would affect all types of vehicles, including light and heavy transport, travelling towards Panvel, Mumbra, and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust. The closure is imposed to ensure smooth construction and prevent congestion in the area.
The report has also mentioned alternate routes for passengers using the exit towards Mumbai at Panvel.
Vehicles on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway heading towards Panvel, Goa, and JNPT will be redirected at Konphata (9.600 km) to NH-48 via Palaspe Circle to reach their destinations.
Vehicles travelling from Pune to Mumbai and bound for Taloja, Kalyan, and Shilphata should continue straight from 1.200 km on the Panvel-Sion Highway, take a right beneath the Purusharth Petrol Pump flyover, and follow the route through Roadpali and NH-48.
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is India’s first six-lane, fully access-controlled expressway, spanning 94.5 km and significantly reduces travel time between Mumbai and Pune to around 2 to 2.5 hours.
Opened in 2002, it bypasses the congested old Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH-48) and serves as a vital corridor for passenger and commercial traffic heading towards Bengaluru, Goa, and southern India.
The expressway features multiple tunnels, including the Bhatan, Madap, and Kamshet tunnels, and has designated toll plazas for revenue collection. With a speed limit of 80 km/h for cars, it offers a scenic drive through the Sahyadri Hills, especially during the monsoon season. Due to increasing vehicular traffic, expansion projects are underway, including constructing additional lanes and bypasses to ease congestion.
