The Pune Mumbai Expressway is India’s first six-lane concrete, high-speed, access controlled tolled expressway. It spans a distance of 94.5 km connecting Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra state and the financial capital of India, with Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra and an industrial and educational hub.
The expressway, which was fully operationalized in 2002, introduced new levels of speed and safety in automobile transportation to Indian roads. It is one of India’s busiest roads.
The expressway has reduced the travel time from Mankhurd where Mumbai city ends to Pune to about two hours. It has supplemented the older Pune – Mumbai National Highway (NH 4; since renumbered to 48) which had become extremely congested and accident-prone.
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The expressway starts at Kalamboli (just before Panvel) and ends at Kiwale (just before Pune). It cleaves through the scenic Sahyadri mountain ranges through passes and tunnels. It has six interchanges: Shedung, Chowk, Khalapur, Lonavala, Kusgaon and Talegaon.
The expressway has two carriageways, each with three concrete lanes, separated by a central divider and a tarmac or concrete shoulder on either side. Pedestrians, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, bullock carts and tractors are not permitted, although tractor-trailers (semi-trailer rigs) are permitted.
Vehicles are also prohibited from halting on the expressway. The expressway handles about 43,000 PCUs daily, and is designed to handle up to 1,000,000 PCUs.
The expressway is not part of NHAI highway network (NH 4 Mumbai Chennai or NH 48 new numbering) and has been built, operated and maintained wholly by the Government of Maharashtra via Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. NH 4/48(new) is another separate national highway that connects Mumbai to Pune.