Ganeshotsav traffic slows Mumbai-Pune Expressway despite Missing Link

Long queues built up on the Pune-bound Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday as Ganeshotsav travellers from Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pune began travelling towards their hometowns, including in Konkan.

The rush is the first major festival-period test for the Missing Link, which opened on May 1 to bypass the Borghat stretch. Officials had said after the opening that about 70% of expressway traffic had shifted to the new route, easing congestion through Borghat in regular traffic conditions.

Highway Traffic Police teams from Borghat and Palaspe, along with IRB patrol and traffic-management teams, worked at affected points to clear the queues. A highway police officer said congestion was reported across several stretches and teams responded after receiving alerts.

The Missing Link is also undergoing rockfall-mesh work.