It took about five hours to travel between Mumbai and Pune, before the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, one of the first showpieces of modern India’s infrastructure development, was opened to the public in 2002. Officially named the Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai Pune Expressway, the six-lane Pune-Mumbai Expressway has replaced the National Highway 4 (NH-4) as the preferred road between Mumbai and Pune. With this made operational the time taken to travel between Mumbai and Pune has reduced to less than two and half hours. The Mumbai Pune Expressway passes through the Sahyadri Mountain range with a number of tunnels throughout the expressway.
Mumbai Pune Expressway: Quick facts
| Official name | Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai Pune Expressway |
| Inaugurated in | April 2002 |
| Developed by | Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation |
| Project cost | Rs 1,630 crore |
| Starts at | Kalamboli, Navi Mumbai |
| Ends at | Kiwale, Pune |
| Length | 94.5 km |
| Speed limit | 80 km/h to 120 km/h |
| Width | Separated by 7 m divider with hard shoulders |
| Number of toll plazas | 5
|
| Direction | Bi-directional |
| Number of lanes | 6 lanes |
Today, the 94-kilometre Mumbai Pune Expressway, which currently handles about 1.5 lakh vehicles per day, is one of the busiest arterial corridors in India, linking India’s financial capital with Pune, the automobile manufacturing and education centre of Maharashtra.
See also: All you need to know about the Samruddhi Mahamarg
Mumbai Pune Expressway: Project details
- Feasibility report prepared by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) in 1990
- Nitin Gadkari, the then Public Works Department (PWD) minister of Maharashtra, proposed the Mumbai Pune Expressway from Kon (near Panvel) to Dehu Road (near Pune) in 1997
- Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) was awarded the contract to build the Mumbai Pune Expressway.
Mumbai Pune Expressway: Project cost
Completed in 1999, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, billed as India’s first expressway project, was built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,630 crore. However, the expressway was fully completed only in 2002.
Also read about: Ganga expressway route, map, project’s major cities and latest news
Mumbai Pune Expressway toll in 2024
| Vehicle type | Toll fee |
| Cars | Rs 320 |
| Mini buses | Rs 495 |
| Heavy-axle vehicles | Rs 685 |
| Buses | Rs 940 |
| Large trucks | Rs 1,630-2,165 |
Note: On the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, travellers are charged toll only for the distance that they travel.
The toll at Mumbai-Pune Expressway is collected at 5 toll plazas. Khalapur and Talegaon are the main toll plazas at the expressway.
Mumbai Pune Expressway: Route
The Mumbai Pune Expressway that starts from Kalamboli has five interchanges. These are Kon, Chowk, Khalapur, Kusgaon and Talegaon. Note that three-wheelers, two-wheelers, bullock cart and tractors are not allowed to travel on the Mumbai Pune Expressway.
Mumbai Pune Expressway: Speed limit
| Category of vehicles | Speed limit |
| M Vehicles (up to 8 passengers, including the driver) | Speed limit is 100 km/hour for most of the route and it drops to 60 km per hour in the ghat section |
| M2 and M3 Vehicles (9 or more passengers, including the driver): | Speed limit is 80 km/hour for most of the route and it drops to 40 km per hour in the ghat section |
| Goods-Carrying Vehicles | Speed limit is 80 km/hour for most of the route and it drops to 40 km per hour in the ghat section |
Mumbai Pune Expressway: Missing link
Since the alignment between Khopoli and Lonavala could not be constructed due to viability gap funding issues, the existing alignment of the NH-4 had to be followed by widening it to six lanes. This results in major traffic jams as the traffic from the NH-4 and the Expressway merge in this section.
(Source: MSRDC)
To address this issue, a 13.3-km alternative alignment with eight lanes, popularly called the ‘missing link’, has been planned. It will start at the Khopoli Exit in Raigad and end at the Sinhagad Institute near Lonavala (Pune). Work on the project is almost complete When operational, the ‘missing link’ will reduce the distance between Mumbai and Pune by nearly six kilometres and will cut the total travel time on the highway by 30 minutes.
See also: Upcoming expressways in India
According to Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, the ‘missing link’ road on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway will be completed and will be open for public by December 2023. The width of the tunnel is 23.75 meters, making it the widest tunnel in the world. Measures have been taken to prevent fire incidents inside,” said Shinde.
Travel from Mumbai to Pune using MTHL and Mumbai Pune eway
The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link at the Chirle end will be further extended with a connector to the Mumbai Pune Expressway. Media reports suggest that the project is estimated at Rs 1,000 crore and is expected to be completed in 30 months. Once operational, it will reduce travel time to Pune from Mumbai by 1 hour.
The connector is made of two six-lane elevated roads
- Chirle to Gavan Phata
- Palaspe and Mumbai Pune Expressway
Mumbai-Pune Highway intelligent traffic management system
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Regional Transport Office has deployed artificial intelligence (AI)- based cameras at 52 locations as part of the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) on the Mumbai Pune Expressway. The AI cameras with the help of radar technology will monitor vehicle speed. It will also detect violations regarding not wearing seat belts, using mobile phone while driving, not following land discipline etc. Violators are issued with electronic challans.
Traffic on Mumbai Pune Expressway to decongest by 50%
A 14-lane bridge near the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) has been proposed that will connect to Pune through a ring road. This project cost is estimated at Rs 55,000 crore. According to Nitin Gadkari, union minister for road transport and highways, this road is expected to decongest traffic on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The expressway will be pass through ring road and reduce the traffic jams in Pimpri Chinchwad.
Mumbai Pune Expressway: Real estate impact
According to a ToI report, the MSRDC identified 24 land parcels along the Mumbai Pune Expressway that would be leased for 99 years. Spanning 450 hectare, this will help fund infrastructural projects such as the Alibaug Virar multimodal corridor, the Samruddhi Mahamarg, Jalna Nanded Expressway, the Pune Ring Road etc.The Mumbai Pune Expressway is one of the landmark links between Mumbai and Pune, two important cities in Maharashtra. With the presence of this expressway, the real estate prices in both Panvel side and the Pune side of the Mumbai Pune Expressway has significantly grown. The newer areas that has opened around Panvel is new Panvel while the areas that has opened up around Pune include the Talegaon, Ravet.
The Mumbai Pune Expressway connects many national highways such as NH48, NH548 and NH60. This connectivity has had positive impact on smaller locations that are opening up. Once considered to be far from Mumbai and even Navi Mumbai, real estate wise, the areas on the periphery of the Mumbai Pune Expressway have grown significantly. This belt sees presence of reputed developers such as IndiaBulls, Kalpataru, Godrej, Hiranandani, Wadhwa, Arihant etc.
Housing.com POV
The Mumbai Pune Expressway is a major link road that has improved connectivity across the state. Owing to this dependency on the Old Mumbai Pune highway has reduced. It is also one of the busiest expressways in the state that sees heavy vehicular movement during weekends. With this expressway and further development of it, people travel from Mumbai to Pune and vice versa for work on a daily basis, something that was unthinkable a few years back.
FAQs
Who owns Mumbai-Pune Expressway?
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is maintained by the MSRDC.
When was the Mumbai-Pune Expressway opened?
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway was opened to public in April 2002.
How many tolls are on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway?
There are 5 tolls on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
Which is the most expensive toll in India?
The toll on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway is expensive with one-way toll charge for car is Rs 320.
What is the highest speed of Mumbai-Pune Expressway?
On the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the speed on the ghat sections is 60 kmph and on the flat sections is 100 kmph.