Mumbai–Pune Expressway Gridlock Revives Questions Over Delayed ‘Missing Link’ Project
The recent traffic congestion that brought the Mumbai–Pune Expressway to a near standstill for almost 30 hours has once again drawn attention to delays in the long-pending ‘Missing Link’ project. Activists and citizen groups have pointed to the narrow, accident-prone ghat section as a recurring bottleneck responsible for frequent traffic jams on the busy corridor. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) had launched the 13.5-km Missing Link project in March 2019 to bypass this stretch, with the aim of improving traffic flow and road safety. Initially scheduled for completion by 2022, the project deadline was revised to 2024 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and has since been extended multiple times, with the latest completion target now set for May 1, 2026.
The project involves the construction of two tunnels and two major bridges across the Sahyadri range and is estimated to cost around ₹6,500 crore from public funds. Authorities have attributed the delays to challenging terrain and engineering complexities. However, citizen groups have questioned this explanation, citing the Konkan Railway project — a 740-km stretch involving 90 tunnels and nearly 2,000 bridges — which was completed between 1990 and 1998 with comparatively limited technology. They argue that the prolonged delay in the Missing Link project warrants investigation, particularly as the recent 36-hour traffic jam stranded thousands of commuters and caused substantial economic losses. The incident has renewed calls for administrative accountability and faster execution of critical infrastructure projects on one of Maharashtra’s busiest highways.
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