As the Missing Link on the Mumbai-Pune expressway opens from May 1, making the travel faster and easier between the two major cities of the state, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will have a new task in hand. This will entail widening the existing expressway from six lanes to 10 lanes to accommodate more vehicles, which are likely to rise after the opening of the Missing Link and the increase in operation of the Navi Mumbai International Airport.The Missing Link is a 13.3-km bypass from Khopoli to Kusgaon and enables skipping of the ghat of Lonavala-Khandala, which witnesses heavy traffic, increasing the travel time for 1.5 lakh vehicles every day between Pune and Mumbai. The eight-lane Missing Link is expected to reduce travel time by 30 minutes between the two important cities of Maharashtra — Pune and Mumbai — by six kilometres. It has two twin tunnels of 1.68 km and 8.87 km each, and a massive 650-metre-long cable-stayed bridge at a height of 182 metres.“The number of private vehicles plying between Mumbai and Pune increased tremendously after the start of the 94.6 km expressway in 2002. However, the steady increase has now reached a peak, leading to traffic congestion in the ghat section of Lonavala and Khandala, causing inconvenience to commuters and an increase in travel time between the two cities. Thus, the solution of the Missing Link emerged,” said an MSRDC officer.He said the Missing Link is the second most important development on the expressway to do away with the existing bottleneck, encouraging more private vehicles to travel between Pune and Mumbai.Additionally, the opening of Atal Setu, connecting expressway via a 7.35 km-long six-lane road, has already encouraged commuters travelling between the two cities to take the stretch for easier and faster connectivity, he said.The decision to widen the expressway is taken into account, anticipating air travellers who would be availing the services of the newly launched Navi Mumbai international airport.“The operations of the international airport will slowly increase, and with it will increase the number of private vehicles on the expressway. So it is necessary to take up widening of the expressway from six lanes to 10 lanes,” said an MSRDC officer.Story continues below this adHe said the new link has eight lanes, and the old stretch of expressway has six lanes. So it is necessary to widen the expressway to at least 10 lanes to avoid traffic congestion and ensure smooth traffic flow across the entire expressway after the opening of the new link.A proposal has been prepared to acquire 100-hectare land for the purpose of widening the entire expressway to 10 lanes, the officer said.“The entire project is estimated to cost over Rs 5,000 crore. The project implementation will start after the monsoon, and it will take five years to complete,” he added.What led to an expresswayNational Highway-4 connecting Pune and Mumbai was a two-lane 192 km-long road that passed through hilly terrain, leading to more travel time. In 1997, the highway’s passenger car unit (PCU) was 60,755, rapidly increasing with a projection of one lakh PCU in 2004, which required more than 10 traffic lanes on national highway corridors. Thus, it was decided to construct a separate 94-km expressway.Story continues below this adAccordingly, the expressway of six lanes was constructed in 27 months and opened in 2000. It had 17 viaducts, 26 underpasses, two railway overbridges, as well as a tunnel of 5.7 kilometres. A total of 1,058 hectares was acquired for the project, which included 769 hectares for right of way (RoW) and an additional 119 hectares of land acquired to dump debris. The national highway, too, was widened later to four lanes.The six-lane expressway and four-lane national highway meet near the Khalapur toll plaza and separate near the Khandala exit. The traffic on the ten lanes together ply on the 6-km narrow expressway section from the Adoshi tunnel to the Khandala exit.The heavy traffic and landslides in the stretch have been causing congestion.Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, Pune. With over 22 years of experience in the industry, he is a highly specialized journalist whose work focuses on the intersection of urban infrastructure, governance, and sustainability. Professional Background Role: As Assistant Editor, he plays a key role in the editorial direction of the Pune bureau, specializing in urban policy and its direct impact on citizens. Education: He holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a PG Diploma in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He also studied at the prestigious Fergusson College. Impactful Reporting: He is credited with research-based articles on conservancy staff (waste workers) that influenced national policy for better working conditions. He is also known for exposing the contrast between high-end infrastructure (like helipads for leaders) and the lack of basic amenities like schools in their home districts. Personal Interests: An avid trekker and sports enthusiast, his personal interest in the outdoors often informs his reporting on environmental protection and sustainable development. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) His reporting in late 2025 has been dominated by the upcoming January 2026 Civic Polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and the city's infrastructure boom: 1. Political Analysis (Civic Elections 2026) "Not friendly but a bitter fight lies ahead between BJP and NCP for PMC, PCMC" (Dec 22, 2025): A detailed look at the intense rivalry between the Mahayuti partners as they prepare for the January 15 municipal elections. "Pune civic polls: Big blow to NCP, NCP(SP) as leaders switch to BJP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on high-profile poaching and party-hopping ahead of the elections. "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): Analyzing the results of the local self-government body elections as a precursor to the main civic polls. 2. Infrastructure & Urban Development "Looking Ahead at 2026: Pune to see inauguration of much-awaited Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar metro route" (Dec 22, 2025): An "outlook" piece on the critical Metro Line 3 project expected to finish by March 2026. "Building Pune: PMC to construct double-decker bridge over Mula-Mutha River" (Dec 18, 2025): Detailing a major project aimed at easing traffic between Hadapsar and Kharadi. "Condition of highway from Pune to Kolhapur to improve in a year: Gadkari" (Dec 4, 2025): Reporting on the Union Minister’s assurances regarding one of the state's most critical transport corridors. 3. Civic Governance & Environment "Install sensors, LED indicators at construction sites within 15 days: PMC to builders" (Dec 16, 2025): A follow-up to the "Breathless Pune" series, reporting on new mandates for builders to monitor air quality in real-time. "Errors in electoral rolls: PMC corrects data of 92,466 voters" (Dec 16, 2025): Tracking the administrative efforts to clean up the voter lists before the 2026 elections. Signature Style Ajay Jadhav is known for accountability journalism. His work often bridges the gap between high-level policy and the "ground zero" reality of Pune's residents. He is particularly focused on Sustainable Development, ensuring that as Pune grows into a "Bharat Mandapam" style destination (referring to his report on the Lohegaon project), its environmental and social safeguards remain intact. X (Twitter): @ajay_khape ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:pune