‘Missing Link’, an ambitious project of the state, has started for the common people from today. The project was inaugurated on Maharashtra Day i.e. May 1 by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar. The ‘Missing Link’ project has been developed from Khopoli Exit to Kusgaon on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. With the commencement of this project, there will be a significant reduction in traffic jam in the ghat area and travel will become faster and safer. This will save travel time and people will get relief from long traffic queues at the ghat.
The ‘Missing Link’ is not just a road project but a wonderful example of modern engineering. Its main attraction is the 23.5 meter wide tunnel, which has been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the widest tunnel in the world. This tunnel is built about 180 meters below Lonavala Lake.
Developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation at a cost of about Rs 6,700 crore, the project includes two tunnels, two flyovers and a cable-stayed bridge over the Tiger Valley. The project bypasses dangerous and accident-prone areas like Khandala and Bhor Ghat, which experience heavy traffic jams, especially during weekends and holidays.
According to officials, due to the ‘missing link’ the Mumbai-Pune travel distance will be reduced by about 6 kilometers and time will be saved by 20 to 30 minutes. Initially, only light vehicles and buses will be allowed on this new route, while heavy vehicles will have to use the old ghat route for safety reasons.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar in the ‘Missing Link’ project under Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai-Pune Rapid Transit capacity expansion.
Guinness World Award for the world’s narrowest underground bog of 22.33 meters wide, emerging in Lonavala area. pic.twitter.com/YkDlUKlZDy— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) May 1, 2026
Officials have clarified that under this project, no toll increase is proposed at Khalapur toll plaza in Raigarh district. These tunnels have been constructed using the ‘New Austrian Tunneling Method’, for which detailed geological study of various rock formations of the Sahyadri mountain range was done.
The length of Tunnel No. 1 is 1.58 kilometers and the length of Tunnel No. 2 is 8.86 kilometers. Both tunnels are approximately 23.5 meters wide and are among the widest road tunnels in the world. India’s highest cable-stayed bridge has been built on this 650 meter long viaduct, whose pillars are 182 meters high and supported by 240 stay cables. Wind tunnel, fatigue and tensile testing of this bridge has been done at international level.
According to the press release, Tunnel No. 2 passes about 180 meters below the level of Lonavala Lake, making the excavation and blasting work technically challenging. The route is designed through difficult hilly terrain with heavy rains, strong winds and low visibility.
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