India, Feb. 5 -- The massive traffic snarls following Tuesday's gas tanker accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway have once again brought under scanner the long-delayed 'missing link' project. Several political leaders have claimed that the crisis could have been significantly reduced if the alternative route had been operational.

Nearly 24 years after the Mumbai-Pune Expressway opened to traffic, the missing link project being developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is now in its final phase, scheduled to be operational by May 1. The 13.3-km link connects the Khopoli exit to Kusgaon, bypassing the accident-prone Bor Ghat stretch, reducing travel time between the two cities by 25-30 minutes, and shortening...