Mumbai-Pune Expressway's Missing Link Shut After Landslide Weeks After Inauguration
Barely nine weeks after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the Rs 6,695-crore Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link, a monsoon-triggered landslide has partially closed the corridor, forcing traffic back onto the old Mumbai-Pune Highway it was built to bypass. This disruption marks the first major monsoon test for one of Maharashtra's most ambitious infrastructure projects, raising questions about its structural readiness.
What is the Missing Link?
The Missing Link is a 13.3-km stretch built to bypass the 19.8-km Khandala ghat section between Khopoli and Sinhgad Institute. For years, traffic on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway converged on this six-lane stretch, which had steep gradients, hairpin bends and sharp curves leading to frequent traffic jams and accidents. The new alignment shortens the journey by nearly 6 km and reduces travel time by 20 to 30 minutes, with a speed limit of up to 100 kmph.
Engineering challenges
The Missing Link includes two twin tunnels measuring 1.6 km and 8.9 km, two high-speed viaducts and a 183-metre cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley, making it the tallest bridge of its kind in India. The 8.9-km main tunnel, excavated nearly 180 metres below Lonavala Lake using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method, is among the widest road tunnels globally. Engineers constructed temporary access passages through the Sahyadri hills. Designed to withstand high winds, dense fog and intense monsoon rainfall, the project took nearly three decades to materialise.
Delays and inauguration
The need for an alternative was first identified by RITES in 1995. The Maharashtra Cabinet approved the project in 2017, construction began in 2019 and was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, difficult geological conditions and tunnelling challenges. At its inauguration on May 1, Fadnavis described it as Maharashtra's new 'connecting link', while the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) projected it as a permanent solution to congestion and accidents.
Monday's landslide
The disruption occurred after a landslide and damage to a retaining wall forced authorities to suspend vehicular movement. The landslide resulted in a heavy flow of water on the Pune-to-Mumbai carriageway. According to State Highway Police, the incident happened in the early hours of Monday following continuous heavy rainfall, near the end of the first tunnel on the Pune-to-Mumbai carriageway. The Pune-to-Mumbai carriageway was immediately closed. Authorities initially suspended traffic in both directions, but around 10 am reopened the Mumbai-to-Pune carriageway while the Pune-to-Mumbai corridor remained shut. Vehicles from Pune were diverted through the old Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH-48). The disruption came as the old highway was also partially closed due to a tree falling on a power line.
