PUNE, May 2 -- The 13.3-km link on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, that has been commonly known as the 'Missing Link', was finally thrown open to traffic by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday. However, the inauguration was marred by traffic gridlock on the Expressway, with thousands of commuters stranded for hours. Acknowledging the traffic chaos caused by the event, Fadnavis said, "I apologise to all travellers who faced inconvenience today. I want to assure that this will be the last time commuters face such congestion here." The bridge between Khopoli and Kusgaon, built by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), should now shed its earlier moniker and now be called the 'Connecting Link', the CM said, highlighting its role in diverting traffic from the expressway's congestion-prone ghat section. The new link will shorten the Mumbai-Pune commute by 6km, and shrink travel time by 25-30 minutes. P3...