The Mumbai-Pune Expressway missing link project, which will help motorists bypass the Lonavla-Khandala ghat section, is expected to be completed by this December. Tunnelling work for the project has been completed, and work on a 170-metre-high cable-stayed bridge — among the tallest in the country — is progressing at a rapid pace. The two tunnels that comprise the link are 1.75 km and 8.92 km in length and 23 metres in width, making them among the widest in the world.

At 170 metres in height, the cable-stayed bridge is as tall as a 45-storey building. Pics/MSRDC

Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Anilkumar Gaikwad said, “The work of the Mumbai-Pune missing link project is progressing at a fast pace, and we are expecting to complete the entire work by December this year, following which the stretch will be opened for motorists. One of the most challenging aspects is constructing the cable-stayed bridge whose height is equivalent to that of a 45-storey building.”