Pune: The Pune-to-Mumbai lane of the Connecting Link on the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway will remain closed for three hours on Wednesday, August 12, due to scheduled maintenance work and a mock drill.
The closure will be in place from 12 noon to 3 pm. During this period, vehicles travelling from Pune towards Mumbai will be diverted through the old Mumbai-Pune Expressway ghat section.
The Mumbai-to-Pune lane of the Connecting Link will remain open to traffic.
The authorities have appealed to motorists to use the alternative route and cooperate with the traffic arrangements during the scheduled closure.
The Connecting Link, also known as the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link, was opened in May this year. The 13.3-km corridor was built to bypass the difficult Khandala-Lonavala ghat section of the expressway.
The project includes two major tunnels, a cable-stayed bridge and viaducts. It was designed to reduce travel time and ease congestion on the old ghat section.
The new route has, however, faced disruptions during its first few months of operation. A major landslide in July blocked the Pune-to-Mumbai carriageway for around 18 hours during heavy monsoon rain. The route was later reopened after the debris was cleared and safety checks were completed.
Authorities have also increased monitoring of the corridor following a fatal accident earlier this month.
The temporary closure on Wednesday is expected to increase traffic on the old ghat route during the three-hour period. Motorists travelling from Pune to Mumbai have therefore been advised to plan their journey accordingly and follow directions from traffic and highway police personnel.
For assistance during the journey, motorists can contact the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Control Room on 9822498224 or the Highway Police Department on 9833498334.
