Ganeshotsav Rush Brings Heavy Traffic On Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Missing Link Faces First Major Festival Test

Lonavala, 12th September 2026: The Mumbai-Pune Expressway witnessed heavy traffic on Saturday as a large number of people travelled towards their native places ahead of Ganeshotsav, resulting in long queues on the Pune-bound carriageway.

The traffic surge comes months after the opening of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link on May 1, which was expected to ease congestion through the Borghat section. While the new route has reduced pressure on the ghat stretch during regular traffic, the festive rush has put the wider corridor under considerable strain.

Highway Traffic Police teams from Borghat and Palaspe, along with IRB personnel and traffic management teams, have been deployed at key locations to regulate vehicle movement and clear congested stretches.
A highway police official said traffic congestion was reported during peak travel hours and that teams were responding to information received from different points along the corridor.

The traffic build-up is linked to the annual Ganeshotsav migration, when thousands of people from Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pune travel to their hometowns, with a significant number heading towards the Konkan region.

Missing Link faces first major festival rush
The Missing Link was constructed to bypass the traditionally congested Borghat section of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Following its opening, officials had indicated that a substantial portion of expressway traffic had shifted to the new route, helping reduce congestion on the ghat section.

However, the scale of traffic during Ganeshotsav is significantly higher than normal daily volumes, putting the entire Mumbai-Pune corridor under additional pressure.

The present congestion does not necessarily indicate that the Missing Link has failed to achieve its intended purpose. While the project addresses a major bottleneck at Borghat, the overall traffic load on the expressway remains a challenge when a large number of vehicles enter the corridor simultaneously.

Traffic management teams deployed
Police and highway authorities are closely monitoring traffic movement as vehicle volumes continue to increase. Personnel have been deployed at important points to regulate traffic and prevent queues from extending further.

IRB teams are also carrying out patrols and assisting with traffic management along the expressway.

With Ganeshotsav travel continuing over the coming days, authorities are likely to face sustained pressure on the Mumbai-Pune route, particularly during peak departure and return periods.

The festival rush will also provide authorities with an opportunity to assess how effectively the expressway network and traffic management measures can handle exceptionally high volumes following the opening of the Missing Link.