Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis termed the 13.3-km-long “Missing Link” project on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway as an ‘engineering marvel’ and an ‘iconic project’ as he inaugurated the much-awaited 13.3km project on Friday.
The key project between on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway has been constructed to bypass the steep mountain pass section to improve road safety and reduce travel time between the two key cities.
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Fadnavis inaugurated the Missing Link at the Khalapur in Raigad district end of the expressway in the afternoon and then drove on the Lonavala-bound carriageway of the project. He was accompanied by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde.
Here is all you need to know about Maharashtra’s ‘Missing Link’ Project:
- The key project has been developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).
- The project has reportedly been built at a cost of ₹7,000 crore.
- Fadnavis said the project features the widest road tunnel in the world and the tallest cable-stayed bridge in the country, making it an iconic infrastructure asset for Maharashtra. He said this has been included in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Traffic jam and Fadnavis’s apology
While the chief minister inaugurated the road project for road safety and smoother traffic movement, a massive traffic jam was witnessed in the Khandala or Bhor ‘ghat’ (mountain pass) section of the expressway. The commuters questioned the government over the timing of the function considering the school holidays and a long weekend as many were stuck in the traffic since early morning.
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Fadnavis then apologised to people for the inconvenience during his speech at the inauguration event. He also said the completion of the project, which was executed in difficult terrain, was a “dream come true”.
“This should not be called a Missing Link but a Connecting Link. Nothing is missing. Everything is in place,” he was quoted as saying.
