Pune: The newly opened Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link has turned into a spectacular monsoon sight, with a viral video showing waterfalls cascading down the green Sahyadri hills along the Pune-bound carriageway.
The video, reportedly shot recently, shows the stretch near Lonavala and Khandala covered in mist, clouds and flowing streams of rainwater. Several waterfalls can be seen emerging from the mountains beside the road after continuous monsoon rainfall.
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The dramatic visuals have left many viewers amazed. The combination of dark clouds, lush green hills, mist and waterfalls makes the stretch appear more like a scenic location outside Maharashtra than a major expressway connecting Mumbai and Pune.
The Missing Link passes through the mountainous Maval region, which is known for its green hills, valleys, waterfalls and scenic monsoon landscape. During the rainy season, the region attracts visitors for its natural beauty and the many waterfalls that appear across the Sahyadri slopes.
The newly opened road has now added another viewpoint to this landscape. Unlike the older Khandala-Lonavala ghat route, the Missing Link takes motorists through a modern corridor consisting of long tunnels, elevated sections and a cable-stayed bridge.
The Mumbai-Pune Missing Link, also known as the Khopoli-Kusgaon Connecting Link, was developed to bypass the accident- and landslide-prone Khandala-Lonavala ghat section of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
The project is 13.3 km long and connects the Khopoli exit in Raigad district with Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district. The project cost around Rs 6,695 crore. It includes two major tunnels with a combined length of around 10.55 km, along with viaducts and a 650-metre cable-stayed bridge.
The project has also attracted attention during its first monsoon. Heavy rain triggered a landslide near Tunnel II on July 6, temporarily disrupting traffic on the newly opened corridor. The road was reopened after more than 18 hours following debris clearance and safety checks.
However, the latest viral visuals show the other side of the Missing Link. With the monsoon covering the surrounding mountains in dense greenery, rainwater can be seen flowing down the steep slopes at several points.
The clouds appear to hang low over the hills, while mist covers parts of the mountain range. Water streams running down the rocky slopes have also turned into temporary waterfalls.
The visuals have once again highlighted the natural beauty of the Mumbai-Pune route during the monsoon. The Maval region lies between the two major cities and has long been known for its scenic landscape during the rainy season.
For motorists travelling through the Missing Link, the newly built corridor now offers not only a faster route between Mumbai and Pune but also striking views of the Sahyadris.
The viral video has left social media users calling the scene ‘heavenly’, with the combination of waterfalls, clouds and green mountains making the Pune-bound stretch look dramatically different from the usual busy highway.
However, motorists are advised to remain cautious during heavy rain, particularly in mountainous stretches. The Missing Link itself faced a monsoon-related landslide in July, highlighting the need for caution while travelling through the Sahyadri terrain during periods of intense rainfall.
