The 'Missing Link' project on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway to bypass the steep mountain pass section aimed at improving road safety and reducing travel distance between the two key cities

The inauguration of the project coincided with the Maharashtra Foundation Day

CM Fadnavis, after the inauguration, drove a vehicle on the Lonavala-bound carriageway of the project, with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar sitting in the vehicle

The 'Missing Link' project connects Khopoli on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district

Developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) at a cost of Rs 6,700 crore, the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge

The project forms part of a modern 19.16-km corridor that also includes widening of a 5.86-km six-lane section between Khalapur and Khopoli interchange to eight lanes

The new project will reduce the Mumbai-Pune travel distance by around 6 km and cut the journey time by 20 to 30 minutes

According to the MSRDC, the project is expected to improve road safety by bypassing accident-prone ghat sections and reduce fuel consumption, resulting in estimated daily savings

Fadnavis said, "The Guinness Book of Records has recognised the tunnels of Mumbai-Pune Expressway as the widest underground road tunnel in the world, while the cable-stayed bridge also stands as an engineering marvel"