Traffic volume on this route is substantial, with around 65,000 vehicles using it daily and numbers rising to nearly 100,000 on weekends and during long holidays. (Source: File)With the Missing Link on the Mumbai-Pune expressway opening from May 1, facilitating travel between the cities, Rajesh Patil, joint managing director of MSRDC told The Indian Express that the main aim of the project was to enhance safety.Detailed studies showed that a significant number of accidents were concentrated within a 7 km stretch of the 15-km ghat section, which had a steep downhill gradient of around 6 per cent. In many cases, truck and trailer drivers would shift their vehicles into neutral to coast downhill for 7–8 km without using fuel. However, in neutral gear, effective braking becomes difficult, often causing vehicles to go out of control and resulting in serious accidents. The main aim of the Missing Link project is to enhance safety and prevent accidents,” he said.To address this concern – especially about the steep downhill gradient, a new alignment has been developed with a much gentler gradient.“The steep descent has been flattened as much as possible, allowing vehicles to travel smoothly and safely in both directions, whether from Mumbai to Pune or Pune to Mumbai, without even realising they are passing through a ghat section,” Patil said.Patil said that a visible change can be seen in the Kasara Ghat on the Mumbai–Nashik route, where the once winding and steep road has been largely bypassed by the Samruddhi Expressway. “This now provides a straighter journey. In the same way, the Missing Link project enables uninterrupted, direct travel, bypassing the ghat terrain,” he said.This route is also supported by emergency response systems already in place along the corridor. The original stretch has effectively been reduced by around 6 km, saving approximately 30 minutes of travel time. Traffic volume on this route is substantial, with around 65,000 vehicles using it daily and numbers rising to nearly 100,000 on weekends and during long holidays.Regular maintenance is also a key focus. Standard pre-monsoon inspections and repairs are carried out every year, along with ongoing upkeep after the monsoon season, ensuring the road remains in safe and optimal condition.Over 9k victims attended toStory continues below this adData from Maharashtra Emergency Medical Services, (from 2014 since the launch of Dial 108 ambulances) suggested that timely assistance was provided to more than five lakh accident victims across the state. Of this in the last four years, approximately 9,000 persons who met with accidents were along Mumbai Pune and Samruddhi expressways.From January 2023 till March 2026, as per data, at least 1,606 persons who had met with accidents along the Mumbai Pune Expressway were attended to by the 108 Emergency Medical Services team. At Samruddhi Expressway since the launch in December 2022 till March 2026 a total of 7426 patients who had met with accidents were attended to by the Maharashtra Emergency Medical Services.Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:MSRDC