Pune: The work on the Pune-Mumbai Missing Link project to bypass the traffic jam is now in its final stages. With 93 per cent of the cable installation work on the Dari bridge completed, the Missing Link will be open for travel in May. This project will reduce the distance by about six kilometres, saving about half an hour.
Mumbai-Pune Missing Link Project 93% Complete: Check Photos; Smart Features | X/ DNT_DFB
The state government had ordered the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to take up the Missing Link project. This project is to increase the capacity of the Pune-Mumbai Expressway. The rains that started in May this year continued till October.
The work on the Dari bridge was challenging. After the intensity of the rains decreased in October, the remaining work gained momentum. The 'Maharashtra Times' team inspected the Missing Link project on Thursday (December 18) and got information.
Mumbai-Pune Missing Link Project 93% Complete: Check Photos; Smart Features | X/ CB Dhage
Key features - Current status
There is a distance of 19 kilometres between the Khopoli exit and Kusgaon (Sinhgad Institute) on the expressway. The work on the project has started since 2019. Two tunnels of 1.68 km and 8.87 km have been constructed to reduce the distance between the ghats on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway by 13.3 km, and the highest bridge in the country, about 181 meters high, has been constructed.
Mumbai-Pune Missing Link Project 93% Complete: Check Photos; Smart Features | X/ DNT_DFB
A part of the bridge has been constructed, and 93 per cent of the work of connecting the other lanes of the remaining bridge and laying cables has been completed. Out of a total of 240 cables, about 150 cables have been installed.
The new year is about to come, to complete the installation of cables and other works. Officials expressed the possibility of completing the work by March 2026 and opening the bridge in May.
The cost of the project in 2019 was Rs 6,900 crore. Due to rains and other reasons, the cost of the project has increased, and it has reached Rs 7,500 crore.
Help will be provided through the alarm system
An alarm system has been installed in the tunnel to help in case of any emergency while travelling from Pune to Mumbai or from Mumbai to Pune. If the button on that system is pressed, the control room will be alerted through the sensor that help is needed.
Apart from this, a system has also been installed in that area to communicate with the control room staff. Apart from this, cross passages have been created every 300 meters through the tunnels. Due to this, if you do not want to go from Pune to Mumbai or from Mumbai to Pune, it will be easy to travel back.
