01 May,2026 08:21 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
The video, shared by Supriya Sule, showed long queues of vehicles. Pic/videograb
Traffic congestion disrupted travel on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Friday, even as the much-awaited âMissing Link' project was inaugurated. Among those affected was Nationalist Congress Party (NCP SP) leader Supriya Sule.
The Member of Parliament from Baramati shared a video while travelling on the route and said she was stuck for nearly two hours while travelling from Mumbai to Pune.
Sule was reportedly travelling to Pune to attend a flag-hoisting ceremony on Maharashtra Day, which coincided with the public opening of the âMissing Link' project on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
The video, shared by her on social media, showed long queues of vehicles, highlighting the difficulties faced by commuters on the route.
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway saw significant congestion on Friday morning, leaving several commuters stuck in slow-moving traffic.
Several commuters took to X to highlight the issue.
A social media user wrote on X, "Why trouble people for inauguration ceremony, huge traffic on Mumbai-Pune Expressway."
The heavy traffic was also partly due to the timing, as the state holiday fell on Friday with a long weekend ahead, prompting many people to leave the city, adding to the congestion on the route.
By evening, the traffic was brought to normal.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis apologised for the inconvenience caused to travellers. Speaking at the inauguration of the 'Missing Link' project, he acknowledged the disruption and referred directly to Sule's experience.
"I would like to apologise to commuters travelling from Mumbai to Pune," he said, adding that the newly opened "connecting link" should prevent such delays in future.
During his address, CM Fadnavis also made a political remark, stating that the project had been completed under the current Mahayuti government after delays during the tenure of the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) administration, of which Sule's party was a part.
He added that the new 'Missing Link' would ensure smoother and faster travel going forward.
The 13.3 km âMissing Link' connects Khopoli in Raigad district to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district. Developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, it is designed to make the 94 km expressway fully access-controlled.
The project includes two tunnels, two viaducts, and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It bypasses the steep and accident-prone ghat section, which often sees heavy congestion, particularly during weekends and public holidays.
