If you're a Mumbai-Pune Expressway regular, there’s reason to celebrate. The Missing Link portion of the expressway is now open. We got exclusive access to the road a couple of days before it opened and will give you a guided tour from behind the wheel of a car that's fitting the occasion - the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro. The 612hp fire breathing sportscar from the house of AMG.
First, a bit of history and geography. The 94-kilometer access-controlled Mumbai-Pune Expressway that opened in 2002 completely transformed the road journey between the two cities. Faster and safer than the highway, the expressway was revolutionary. But work on a portion of the original planned route never took off. This section came to be known as the Missing Link. The big idea was to completely bypass the Lonavala Ghat which is shared with National Highway 4 and its completion is as game-changing as the opening of the expressway itself.
Our starting point is Mumbai and the drive to the first toll point at Khalapur remains unchanged.
A key detail to bring in is that there's no change in toll that stays at Rs 320 one way, irrespective of whether you use the Missing Link or the old Lonavala ghat section. A widened eight-lane portion leads to Khopoli five kilometers away which is the entry point to the Missing Link.
What follows is a Mumbai to Pune drive like never before.
850m long parallel bridges supported by pillars as high as 65 meters from the ground is where the journey begins and leads into the next feature - a 1.6km tunnel. What's particularly impressive about the tunnels is their width. Their 22.3m diameter makes them the widest tunnels in the world, a fact that has been certified by the Guinness World Records. These tunnels can accommodate four lanes of 3.75m each, there’s an additional 3m service lane as well as a walkway and drainage on the side.
What also immediately stands out is that the route only has gentle curves and that means higher speeds. The speed limit is 100kph, a speed that you can comfortably maintain. Fun fact, 100 kph is just 3.2 seconds of fun from a standstill in the AMG GT 63 Pro. In comparison, the winding Ghat section has a speed limit of just 60 kph and on a bad day, you'd rarely even get to that number. Slow moving trucks occupying all lanes, terrible lane discipline, horrid traffic jams have made the Ghat road dreadful, which is why the Missing Link feels like the ultimate cheat code.
The defining feature of the Missing Link is Viaduct 2 that comprises parallel cable stayed bridges 650 meters long across Tiger Valley. Finishing touches were being given to the bridges on the day of our shoot but the effect was nonetheless mega. You could even call the bridge photogenic with the cables filling up the sight through the sunroof. I can't wait to see what it'll look like in the monsoons with everything around it being lush green. The bridges are supported by a total of 240 cables connected to four pylons with a max height of 182m. The deck is 125m above the lowest point of the valley.
The bridge’s position at Tiger Valley means that it is always up against high speed winds. Interestingly, at the design stage, the bridge’s shape was refined in a wind tunnel and the final product can withstand winds of up to 250kph. This AMG GT Pro is also big on aero. Active elements up front, air deflectors, underbody and a fixed rear wing mean that this AMG GT Pro can cut through the air and also use the air to hug the ground.
Viaduct 2 leads into the fourth and single largest feature of the Missing Link, an 8.9km long tunnel that's built through the Sayadri range. It's estimated that over one lakh vehicles will use the Missing Link every day, but today, I have a large chunk of it all to myself so pardon me if I indulge a bit over this drive. The 612hp Mercedes AMG GT 63 Pro is straining at the leash. An empty tunnel with no other vehicles inside is the ideal setting to hear the 4-litre twin-turbo V8 sing. The engine’s roars, rumbles, pops and crackles ricochet off the tunnel walls. Joy! Performance is also thrilling. The pushback onto your seat is real and power feels relentless. The GT just goes and goes and goes.
The beauty of the Missing Link? You don't need to speed to save time. Compared to the ghat road on the best of days, you'd still save 25 minutes by using the Missing Link. thing is, the days of smooth flowing traffic on the ghat section are long gone so in the real world, your minimum saving by using the Missing Link would be 45 minutes. On Friday evenings, when traffic peaks, the savings would be in hours!
The entire Missing Link takes about 8-10 minutes to cover. This Mercedes AMG GT 63 Pro's top speed is 317kph. Theoretically and I mean only in theory, the AMG GT at V max could complete the 13km of the Missing Link in just over two and a half minutes. But do not get any ideas. Any misdemeanors will be caught on the network of cameras on the route.
Also, while it may not look it, there’s a gradual climb through the route. It goes by unnoticed in the AMG GT - a thundering V8 sure helps fight gravity. The max gradient is 3.5 percent, which means you climb 3.5 meters for every 100 meters that you drive. In contrast, the max gradient on the ghat section is percent. In effect, the Missing Link is easier on your car.
The tunnels were pending final cleaning, which is why they were dusty on shoot day. What I can say is that the Missing Link tunnels are far removed from the dark and dingy tunnels on the ghat. The tunnel is well lit, so you won't need to strain your eyes to identify the supercar you might be sharing road space with. Something tells me supercar sightings on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway are going to increase with the opening of the Missing Link.
Initially, the Missing Link will only be open to cars and buses. In a few months, it will also be open to heavy trucks. But heavy trucks that transport hazardous materials or chemicals will not be allowed in the Missing Link. But irrespective of type of vehicle, I do sincerely hope that all road users follow lane discipline.
One thing to bring up is about the road surface. The surface changes from asphalt on the Viaducts to concrete in the tunnels and you can feel that change in surface, especially in a car like the AMG GT that's riding on short travel springs and 21-inch rims wrapped in very low-profile rubber.
There's no phone connectivity in the long tunnel and navigation has a hard time keeping up. Google Maps was tripping on the Missing Link and at one point showed us at the Lonavala Lake. That's actually not incorrect because a portion of the tunnel actually goes under the Lonavala Lake! The bottom of the lake is 180m above the top of this tunnel.
There are some other features to talk about too. The Mumbai side and Pune side of the tunnels are connected via these cross passages every 300 meters. In case of an emergency, traffic can be rerouted to safety. Other emergency features include SOS call boxes every 250 meters, water nozzles that trigger automatically in the event of a fire and overhead jet fans that push out toxic gases.
The Missing Link promises to be a route where you could make the most of ADAS features like lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control. Just in case you find the Missing Link a bit featureless, there is some good news for you because this road also serves as your new shortcut to the upcoming Nanoli Speedway racetrack. You can drive to your heart's content there. Speaking of which, Mercedes, may I get the car back when Nanoli opens?
And just like that, we reach the exit of the tunnel at Kusgaon where the road rejoins the Mumbai-Pune Expressway as we know it. In all, the 13.3km Missing Link covers the same route as the 19km ghat without any of the stress. If you've ever been stuck on the Lonavala ghat, the Missing Link really feels like time travel.
Future drives on the missing link will be quieter for me for sure. But what I can tell you is that Mumbai and Pune have never seemed closer.