NCP (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule was among hundreds of commuters caught in a massive traffic jam on the Mumbai Pune Expressway while travelling to Pune for a Maharashtra Day event.
The NCP leader shared a video from the spot, showing long queues of vehicles and interacting with fellow motorists, saying she had been stuck for nearly 2 hours.
Sule was on her way to attend a flag hoisting programme when the congestion occurred, coinciding with the opening of the Mumbai-Pune 'Missing Link' project on the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway.
The traffic build-up was also attributed to the long weekend and state holiday, with a large number of people travelling out of the city.
What is happening on the Mumbai-Pune expressway?
The expressway is currently in the spotlight because of the opening of the long-awaited "missing link" project on May 1 by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, which happened this afternoon. At the same time, there have already been reports of massive traffic jams, with commuters stuck for hours due to the heavy holiday rush and the new route opening.
The situation is caused mainly by a mix of two things:
- Heavy travel demand because of a long weekend and Maharashtra Day
- Traffic adjustments as vehicles start using the newly opened stretch
So while the project is meant to ease congestion, there are temporary disruptions as traffic patterns shift.
What is the 'missing link'
The Mumbai Pune ‘missing link’ project includes a 13.3 km bypass that shortens the overall route by about 6 km, helping avoid the difficult ghat section. A key highlight of the project is its twin tunnels, including one that is nearly 9 km long, along with a major cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. The new stretch has been designed to ensure smoother and faster travel for commuters.
The project aims to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Pune by around 20 to 30 minutes and significantly improve safety by bypassing accident prone ghat roads. It is also expected to ease congestion on one of the busiest highways in Maharashtra, making travel more efficient and predictable.
Ths project aims to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Pune by about 20 to 30 minutes and improve safety by avoiding accident prone ghat roads. Thus easing travel time and congestion on the one of the busiest raods in Maharahstra.
