Pune: Traffic on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Connecting Link, popularly known as the missing link, is being regulated and diverted on Wednesday afternoon as authorities carry out maintenance work and a mock drill inside the Mumbai-bound tunnel.
The exercise began at 12 noon on 12th August and will continue until 3 pm. The traffic restrictions are in place on the right-hand side (RHS) tunnel, which carries vehicles towards Mumbai.
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The Highway Police are managing traffic movement around the work area. Cones, barricades and directional signage have been placed, while security personnel have also been deployed.
Motorists travelling through the stretch have been asked to follow the instructions of the traffic police, drive slowly and maintain a safe distance from other vehicles.
The three-hour restriction comes barely three months after the new Connecting Link became fully operational and weeks after the corridor faced a major disruption during the monsoon.
New corridor faced monsoon setback…
The Connecting Link, also known as the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link, was inaugurated on 1st May. The 13.3-km corridor connects Khopoli and Kusgaon and was built to bypass the older Khandala-Lonavala ghat section.
The project includes tunnels, viaducts and a major cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It was designed to shorten the Mumbai-Pune route and save motorists around 25 to 30 minutes.
However, the new corridor faced a major monsoon-related disruption soon after opening.
On 6th July, heavy rainfall triggered a landslide near the Connecting Link. Debris and boulders affected the Pune-bound carriageway near the exit of Tunnel 2.
The corridor was shut for nearly 18 hours while the debris was cleared and the affected area was inspected. Traffic was restored after technical experts examined Tunnel 2 and the adjoining slope.
The incident raised concerns about the impact of heavy rainfall and unstable hill slopes around the newly opened corridor
