Pune-Mumbai Travel Set to Shorten with Cable-Stayed Bridge Completion Expected by March 2025

Mumbaikars can expect a faster journey to Pune within a year, because of the ongoing construction of a crucial cable-stayed bridge as part of the Rs 6,695 crore missing link project along the Lonavala ghat section. The bridge, initially set to finish by July this year, might be delayed until March next year due to challenges like Covid, monsoon winds, and the need for skilled workers to work at great heights.

This cable-stayed bridge, with four 182-meter tall pylons, will be a landmark feat, standing against severe wind pressures in the picturesque Tiger Valley of Lonavala. Once completed, it will reduce travel time by half an hour, benefiting the thousands of motorists commuting between Mumbai and Pune daily. The missing link project also includes the construction of twin tunnels, recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s widest, spanning 47 meters over 10 lanes. The tunnels, totaling 8.9km and 1.7km, were daylighted last year.

However, bridging the 650-meter gap between them remains, with the construction of the country’s tallest cable-stayed road link.
This project aims to bypass the Khandala ghat section, cutting the Mumbai-Pune distance by over 6km and travel time by nearly 30 minutes. Such reduction promises significant fuel and carbon savings, as the ghat section currently burns fuel due to ascent and traffic congestion.

Although the toll for the Expressway won’t change, motorists will need to pay it for 15 more years beyond the current toll contract period.