From the archive record
Driving towards Mumbai from Pune on Mumbai Pune Expressway in Maharashtra. The Mumbai Pune Expresswa or Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai Pune Expressway is India's first six-lane concrete, high-speed, access controlled tolled expressway. Mumbai Pune Expressway spans a distance of 94.5 km (58.7 mi) connecting Mumbai, the administrative capital of Maharashtra and the financial capital of India, with Pune, 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 between the cities of Mumbai and Pune to approximately two hours.[citation needed] For most practical purposes, it has replaced the older Mum