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Gadkari says Mumbai-Pune Expressway remains pothole-free
India Today··18 Aug
Union minister Nitin Gadkari on 17 August said the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, built 27 years ago, remains pothole-free. He spoke at Symbiosis International University in Pune. He said criticism after a July landslide on the Missing Link ignored that the stretch was a Maharashtra government project. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had inaugurated the 13.3 km Missing Link in May.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you drive the original Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Gadkari said that 27-year-old carriageway still has no potholes.
- Anyone using the Missing Link after May can separate that 13.3 km state bypass from the older expressway he cited.
- If you follow Pune road works, he said about Rs 60,000 crore of city infrastructure projects are in the pipeline.
What's Happening
- On 17 August 2026, Gadkari said the Mumbai-Pune Expressway remains pothole-free 27 years after construction.
- He said he was criticised online after a July landslide on the Missing Link, which he called a state project.
- He asked for drones, AI, LiDAR and satellites to detect road defects early.
What The Missing Link Added And What Failed In July
- The 13.3 km Missing Link, inaugurated on 1 May, was built to bypass the steep Khandala ghat and cut travel distance.
- In July, monsoon rain triggered a landslide near Tunnel 2, closing the Pune-to-Mumbai carriageway.
- Gadkari said forest clearance was refused when he first wanted that link built with the original expressway.
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