The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has issued a stern warning to commuters against stopping on the newly inaugurated Mumbai–Pune Expressway missing link. The 13.3-kilometer access-controlled stretch, which opened to traffic on Friday, is under round-the-clock surveillance through an extensive network of cameras covering the twin tunnels and the cable-stayed bridge. Senior MSRDC officials emphasized that the high-speed corridor is not a tourist attraction or a picnic spot.
Strict Monitoring and Safety Measures
Vehicles halting on the roadway disrupt traffic flow and pose serious safety risks. Strict monitoring is in place, and action will be taken against violators, an official warned. Authorities reported that they have already captured footage of numerous vehicles stopping on the cable-stayed bridge late Friday evening following the inaugural event. The maximum speed limit has been set at 100 kmph for light motor vehicles and 80 kmph for buses and heavy vehicles within the tunnel and bridge sections. These are upper limits, not targets, and drivers must adhere to lane discipline and refrain from exceeding these speeds, an official added after a review meeting on the second day of operations.
Project Overview and Benefits
The Rs 6,695-crore project, executed by MSRDC, connects Khopoli to Kusgaon, bypassing the accident-prone and congestion-heavy ghat section between Lonavala and the Khopoli exit. The new alignment reduces the travel distance from 19 km to 13.3 km, cutting the commute between Mumbai and Pune by 20–30 minutes. The project features world-class engineering, including twin tunnels among the widest in the world at 23.5 metres, a 1.6 km viaduct, and a prominent cable-stayed bridge rising nearly 182 metres above the valley floor.
Operational Challenges and Criticism
While the Mumbai–Pune carriageway was opened immediately after the inauguration by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, the Pune–Mumbai side remained closed from midnight until early Saturday morning. The closure was required to remove event infrastructure, including large pandals used for the ceremony. This delay drew sharp criticism from commuters and political leaders. MNS leader Abhijit Panse, traveling from Pune to Mumbai on Saturday morning, expressed frustration at being forced back onto the old ghat section. He noted that while the CM announced traffic jams would be a thing of the past, the link was closed Saturday morning to remove pandals. This level of fanfare was avoidable and could have been handled digitally to avoid inconveniencing citizens, Panse said. He added that his journey, which should have taken 2.5 hours, took four hours due to congestion.
Traffic Flow and Compliance
Heavy traffic during the inauguration prompted Deputy CM Eknath Shinde to direct police to allow vehicles through without toll collection to ease the bottleneck. MSRDC officials confirmed that all stretches were cleared by Saturday afternoon and traffic flow has since stabilised. However, they reiterated that strict compliance with the no-stopping rule is essential for the corridor to maintain its promise of faster, safer travel.
