Overview
- Traffic police, in a Tuesday order, set Phase 1 from May 1 to October 31 for cars and buses, with a review from November 1 for goods vehicles and a permanent ban on hazardous cargo.
- Speed limits are 100 km/h for cars and 80 km/h for buses, and police will enforce them with AI-enabled cameras, speed guns and round-the-clock patrols.
- Twin control rooms, SOS call points every 250 metres, fire suppression systems and stationed ambulances and cranes are in place for 24x7 emergency response inside the tunnels.
- Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said there will be no extra toll to use the new section and no increase at the Khalapur toll plaza.
- The 13.3 km link uses twin tunnels of about 1.75 km and 8.92 km, viaducts and a cable‑stayed bridge with 182‑metre pylons to bypass the ghat, which officials say should cut roughly 6 km and 20–30 minutes from the trip.