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.