Mumbai-Pune Expressway: CM Devendra Fadnavis Apologises After Mumbai-Pune 'Missing Link' Launch Triggers Traffic Jams

Commuters were stranded for nearly 5-hours in scorching heat on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Friday, May 1, which was also Maharashtra Day and Labour Day, leading to increased vehicular traffic heading towards Konkan via Pune highway and Goa highway. Reports suggest several vehicles broke down in the middle of the road and overheated clutch plates in a traffic jam due to the Missing Link inauguration by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra.

CM Devendra Fadnavis apologises to stranded travellers, including NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule. Sule, who was among hundreds of people travelling from Mumbai to Pune on the weekend, claimed she was stuck in traffic for two hours in the morning, before the inauguration of the project.

'कनेक्टिव्हिटी'ची नवी सुरुवात! वेगवान प्रवास, अत्याधुनिक सुविधा, जागतिक विक्रम आणि अर्थव्यवस्थेला चालना, मुंबई–पुणे ‘मिसिंग लिंक’ प्रकल्पाचा ऐतिहासिक टप्पा पूर्ण!#Maharashtra#MissingLinkpic.twitter.com/iDfPN2Qwta

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) May 1, 2026

Also Read | Mumbai-Pune Expressway’s ‘Missing Link’ is Now Maharashtra's New ‘Connecting Link,’ Says CM Devendra Fadnavis.

The Baramati MP shared a video on social media showing long queues of vehicles behind and ahead of her car. Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Harshal Pradhan said CM Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde flew to the inauguration site, but people suffered due to the resultant traffic chaos. "If the people lose their patience, they will make the ruling parties go 'missing'," he said.

Pradhan also said that with this project, another dream of Sena (UBT) chief and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has been realised. Fadnavis, who inaugurated the 13.3-km-long road, acknowledged that the ceremony caused traffic jaims.

Addressing a press conference at the inauguration ceremony, he said, "I would like to apologise to commuters travelling from Mumbai to Pune as they had to face traffic congestion. Supriya tai (Supriya Sule) was also stranded, and she posted a video. I would like to tell her that this is the last time you have been stranded in traffic. With the connecting link now operational, you will not face such issues while travelling between Mumbai and Pune."

LIVE | यशवंतराव चव्हाण मुंबई-पुणे द्रुतगती मार्ग क्षमतावाढ अंतर्गत 'मिसिंग लिंक' प्रकल्पाचे लोकार्पण

🕑 दु. १.५९ वा. | १-५-२०२६📍खालापूर, रायगड.#Maharashtra#MaharashtraDay#MumbaiPuneMissingLinkhttps://t.co/zCNY972DmQ

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) May 1, 2026

 
The CM also scored a political point by stating that the BJP-led government completed a project that had been stalled during the Maha Vikas Aghadi rule. The 'Missing Link' connects Khopoli (in Raigad district) on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district. It is expected to make the 94-km-long expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the hilly ghat section.

Developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge, and bypasses the steep and accident-prone ghat section.

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