New lane on Mumbai-Pune Expressway likely to reduce travel time by 30 minutes

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation's (MSRDC) Mumbai-Pune Expressway augmentation project is more than half ready and headed for year-end completion.

This project is expected to cut short travel time between both cities by at least half an hour.

Currently, 65% of the work on this new route, which connects Khopoli and Kusgaon, has been finished, and the remaining work is shaping up rapidly which one can observe while descending from the Khandala stretch to the Khopoli toll gate.

According to the MSRDC, the new lane's construction will be finished by the end of December, and it will be open to traffic sometime in January 2024. 

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway has made travel quicker, but it has also increased the number of accidents. In the last decade, there has been an increased traffic flow requiring the addition of lanes to decongest the crucial link. As a result, the MSRDC chose to build a new missing lane between Khopoli and Kusgaon in order to prevent accidents and improve travel time.

The new route is 19.80 kilometres long, and construction started in February 2019. The MSRDC is confident that the new lane will not only reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Pune but will also guarantee commuter safety. It has a combination of tunnels and bridges.

Mumbai - Pune Expressway toll hiked up to 18.51% from April 1

Starting April 1, Mumbai - Pune Expressway toll was hiked by up to 18.51%.

The 95 km long expressway has been undergoing constant maintenance and upgrade. Beginning April 1, the toll on Mumbai – Pune Expressway was revised by up to 18.51%.

The toll on the Expressway is hiked every three years. The last revision was done on April 1, 2020, hence, necessitating the increase starting this April. The next toll rise will be on April 1, 2026.

The notification with regards to the toll rates to be levied up to April 30, 2030, was issued back in August 2004.