By end of 2023, travel to Lonavala via longest tunnel

The tunnel being built between Khalapur and Lonavala

If all goes according to plan, the world's widest and the state's longest tunnel, being built between Khalapur and Lonavala, would be ready by next year. More than 50 per cent of the tunnel is complete. Besides, the work on the cable-stayed bridge, which is part of the 19-km Mumbai-Pune missing link project, is expected to start in the coming days.

The Khopoli-Sinhgad Institute section of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway section is 19-km-long, which would reduce to 13.3 km after the missing link is built. The total length of the expressway would decrease by 6 km, reducing the travel time by 30 minutes.

Work on the cable-stayed bridge

Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) Joint Managing Director (Engineering) Anilkumar Gaikwad told mid-day, "The work on the Mumbai-Pune missing link project is going on full swing. More than 50 per cent work on 1.75-km and 8.92-km tunnels has been completed. Each tunnel has a width of 23 metres, making them the widest tunnels in the world. The foundation work of the 170-metre cable-stayed bridge has also started. The work got delayed because of the pandemic, but looking at the current pace of work, we expect that motorists would be able to travel through the tunnels and the bridge by December 2023."

He added that the two tunnels will be interconnected at every 300 metres, so that the traffic is not affected in case of an emergency.

"As a part of the work, the expressway will be widened after Khalapur toll towards Pune, and thereafter, motorists will travel via bridge and tunnel that will pass 150 metres under the Lonavala lake. The missing link will meet the expressway after Sinhgad Institute of Technology-Lonavala. This project will solve the traffic woes in the ghat section and save at least 25-30 minutes of travel time," Gaikwad said.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is presently a six-lane cement concrete pavement, and National Highway no. 4 from Shil Phata to Dehu Road is a 4-lane bituminous pavement.

The expressway and NH-4 meet near Khalapur Toll Plaza and separate near Khandala exit. The section from Adoshi Tunnel to Khandala exit sees heavy traffic, and landslides cause congestion on this stretch. Sometimes, motorists speed on this stretch, leading to accidents.

30 min
Time Mumbai-Pune motorists will save when project is done