Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will be taking up the work to lay gantry on the lane from Pune to Mumbai on the Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai-Pune Expressway(YCMPEW) between 12 noon and 2pm on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. As a result, all the light and heavy vehicles will not be allowed to ply on the road.
However, the movement will be allowed to ply on the alternate route. The vehicular traffic coming from Pune to Mumbai will be diverted via old Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH 48). The vehicles will have to ply through Khopoli and continue their journey to Mumbai via Shedung toll plaza.
Traffic Challenges On Mumbai-Pune Expressway
The expressway is already facing heavy traffic due to the ongoing work for missing link that will reduce the travel time between two cities by 30 minutes.
Mumbai-Pune Expressway and NH-4 meet near Khalapur Toll Plaza and separate near Khandala exit. The section from Adoshi Tunnel to Khandala exit is a 6-lane road but the traffic of 10-lane road (6-lane of Mumbai-Pune Expressway and 4-lane of NH-4) is plying in this section. As a result, heavy amount of traffic and landslides causes congestion in this stretch. Due to decrease in speed and increase in time of travel in this section and in order to save time, vehicles move at a faster speed on the rest of the expressway which has resulted in an increase in the number of accidents.
Mumbai-Pune Expressway’s New Missing Link Set To Reduce Travel Time
Accordingly, M/s. RITES carried out feasibility studies for the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and suggested an alternate route for this Ghat section. MSRDC appointed a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) in order to review the detailed project report submitted by the consultant. As per suggestions of the TAC, alignment of the Missing Link along with Detailed Project Report was approved.
Presently, the length of the existing Mumbai Pune Expressway section from Khopoli exit to Sinhgad Institute is 19 kms. This distance will be reduced to 13.3 kms after construction of this new Missing Link. So, the total length of Expressway from Mumbai to Pune will be decreased by 6kms and travel time will get reduced by 20-25 mins.