Pune-Mumbai Expressway Link to Close for 3 Hours on August 12
The Pune-to-Mumbai lane of the Connecting Link on the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway will remain closed for three hours on Wednesday, August 12, to allow authorities to carry out scheduled maintenance work and a mock drill. The temporary closure will be enforced from 12 noon to 3 pm. During this three-hour window, all vehicles travelling from Pune towards Mumbai will be diverted through the old Mumbai-Pune Expressway ghat section near Khandala and Lonavala.
Traffic moving in the opposite direction will not be affected by the work. The Mumbai-to-Pune lane of the Connecting Link will remain fully open to traffic throughout the afternoon. Officials have appealed to motorists to use the designated alternative route and extend their cooperation to the traffic arrangements in place during the scheduled shutdown.
The Connecting Link, officially known as the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link, was opened to commuters in May this year. The 13.3-km corridor was constructed specifically to bypass the challenging Khandala-Lonavala ghat section of the expressway. Designed to significantly reduce travel time and ease traffic congestion on the old ghat stretch, the infrastructure project incorporates two major tunnels, a cable-stayed bridge, and multiple viaducts.
Despite being operational for only a few months, the new route has already encountered several disruptions. A major landslide caused by heavy monsoon rain in July completely blocked the Pune-to-Mumbai carriageway for around 18 hours. Traffic was restored only after response teams cleared the accumulated debris and conducted thorough safety checks. Furthermore, authorities have recently increased monitoring along the entire corridor following a fatal accident that occurred earlier this month.
The three-hour shutdown on Wednesday afternoon is expected to cause a surge in traffic along the old ghat section. Motorists travelling from Pune to Mumbai are advised to plan their journeys in advance and follow the directions issued by traffic and highway police personnel deployed along the route.
To assist commuters during their journey, authorities have provided emergency contact details. Motorists requiring assistance or information can contact the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Control Room on 9822498224 or reach the Highway Police Department on 9833498334.
