Tunnelling for a six-km missing link of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway began on Monday after a symbolic inauguration by State PWD Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday.
The plan envisages building twin tunnels to reduce the 19-km distance of the expressway between Khopoli exit to Sinhgad institute by six km. Tenders for the tunnelling were given to two private firms in August last year.
Mr. Shinde said the tunnels, with a width of 24 metres, will be among the widest in the world, and commuting between two of Maharashtra’s biggest cities would ease out considerably once the link is ready in three years.
The project is estimated to cost ₹6,695 crore and will also have a 900-metre bridge and a cable-stayed structure of 650 metres, government officials said.
Easing bottleneck
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is at present a six-lane cement concrete road with a length of 94 km. The expressway meets National Highway 4 at Khalapur toll plaza, and separates near Khandala exit. The stretch on which the expressway and highway meet is a bottleneck as vehicles from two major roads converge on a narrow connector, prompting authorities to think of the missing link.