Deadline For Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link Project Extended As Cable-Stayed Bridge And Tunnels Remain Challenges

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link Project has received another deadline extension, with completion now anticipated by August 2025.

Despite 92 per cent of the work being finished, complexities surrounding the cable-stayed bridge near Lonavala have delayed the project, initially slated for completion in March 2024.

Anilkumar Gaikwad, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), said, "We have finished 12.4 km of the 13 km missing link project. The remaining work centres on the cable-stayed bridge near Tiger Valley at Lonavala, where four pylons reaching 180 m in height must be constructed. The superstructure is nearly done, and we are proceeding cautiously with the work."

The Rs 6,695 crore Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway (YCEW) project, reviewed recently by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, is divided into two phases. Phase-I involves eight-laning two tunnels of 1.75 km and 8.92 km, while Phase-II includes eight-laning two viaducts spanning 790 m and 650 m.

While tunnelling work has been completed, viaduct construction faces challenges due to extreme wind pressures at a height of nearly 100m, slowing progress in Phase-II.

The project aims to alleviate congestion between the Adoshi tunnel and Khandala exit, where the current 10-lane expressway merges with the four-lane NH-4. Officials estimate that 85 per cent of current expressway traffic will use the new route.

MSRDC officials have assured that funding will not hinder the project and emphasised that safety remains a top priority. "This stretch faces significant challenges as the cable-stayed bridge is coming up at a height of almost 100 m above Khandala Valley," an official stated.

Motorists, however, expressed frustration over recurring delays. "There is no respite during holiday periods, when traffic jams on the e-way stretch for kilometres on end," said commuter Darshan Kothari.

The extended toll collection period for the expressway, initially ending in 2030, will now continue for an additional 15 years.