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The Mumbai-Pune Expressway missing link project, which is in its final stage, may not meet its planned May 1 opening due to supply disruptions linked to the ongoing West Asia conflict. Shortage of bitumen and rising input costs have slowed the final surfacing work on key bridge sections. While tunnels and major road stretches are already complete, the last phase remains pending. Authorities are working to meet internal deadlines, but uncertainty over material availability and logistics continues to affect progress.
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway missing link project is nearing completion, but its expected May 1 opening is now uncertain due to disruptions in the supply of key materials caused by the ongoing West Asia conflict. The issue has mainly affected the availability of bitumen, which is required for the final road surfacing work, especially on the cable-stayed bridges. Advertisement
Officials from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) indicated that most of the major construction work has already been completed. This includes the tunnels and the main carriageways, which have already been layered with bitumen. However, the final layer on the cable-stayed bridges is still pending, as these sections were completed structurally only recently and are now in the finishing stage.
The supply of bitumen has been impacted over the past couple of weeks due to disruptions in imports from key West Asian countries such as Iraq, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait. Officials conveyed that prices of bitumen have increased by around 50%, making procurement both difficult and expensive. In addition, there has been some impact on the availability of light diesel oil used for construction machinery, which has further slowed on-site work.
Authorities informed that contractors have been instructed to complete the pending work by April 25, while load testing of the bridges is expected to be completed by April 30. Despite these internal targets, officials acknowledged that if supply issues continue, the inauguration may have to be postponed.
The missing link project covers a 13.3 km stretch between Khopoli and Kusgaon and is designed to bypass the accident-prone ghat section of the expressway. It includes two tunnels measuring 8.87 km and 1.68 km, along with two cable-stayed bridges of around 650 metres each. Once operational, the project is expected to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Pune by about 25 to 30 minutes and improve safety on this busy corridor.
The project has a long history, having been conceptualised in 1995. It has faced multiple delays over the years due to technical challenges, difficult terrain, weather-related disruptions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Contracts for construction were awarded in 2018, and the project has now reached over 95% completion, placing it close to commissioning.
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