A severe traffic snarl lasting over 11 hours paralyzed a key section of Pune's University Road on Monday, following a multi-vehicle accident involving a truck, a private bus, and a crucial support structure for an upcoming Metro station. The disruption stretched from the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) junction to the College of Agriculture (CoA) Chowk, severely affecting thousands of commuters, including IT professionals heading to Hinjewadi.
Sequence of the Early Morning Collision
The chain-reaction crash occurred in the early hours, around 2 am. According to police, a truck descending the flyover towards CoA Chowk rammed into the rear of a private bus that was traveling ahead of it. The bus, carrying 28 passengers from Mumbai to Beed, had just crossed the new flyover at the university junction and was nearing the under-construction Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Metro station when the impact occurred.
The forceful collision pushed the bus into the iron scaffolding supporting a column of the RBI Metro station. Subsequently, a car also collided with the truck from behind. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among the passengers or drivers.
Clearing Operation and Major Traffic Fallout
The accident created a complex scenario for authorities. The bus and truck were locked at an awkward angle, leaving minimal space for other vehicles to pass under the Metro station. More critically, the bus was entangled with the scaffolding that supports the station's upper section.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Himmat Jadhav explained, "The scaffolding got stuck in the driver's cabin and engine compartment of the bus. Pulling away the bus hastily would have risked damaging the Metro station's structure." This necessitated a careful assessment and a slow, methodical clearance process.
A heavy-duty crane arrived at the site around 11:30 am to begin the arduous task of separating the vehicles and the scaffolding. The entire operation, including the removal of the damaged scaffolding, continued until 7 pm before the road was fully cleared.
Cascading Effects on Pune's Key Roads
The blockage on this vital artery had a ripple effect across the city's traffic network throughout the day. The stretch connects areas like Aundh, Baner, and Pashan with the city center and is heavily used by IT company employees commuting to the Hinjewadi IT park.
By 7 am, morning traffic coming from the University junction flyover was severely impacted, leading to massive jams. Long queues of vehicles remained stranded on the flyover for hours. The congestion on Ganeshkhind Road (University Road) spilled over to other major roads, including Senapati Bapat Road and the Pune-Mumbai highway.
To manage the situation, traffic police diverted vehicles towards Range Hills, from where they were redirected either towards the Agriculture College or the old Pune-Mumbai highway. The private bus company arranged an alternate bus for the 28 stranded passengers.
Senior Inspector Uttam Bhajnawale of the Chatushrungi police station confirmed, "We have registered a case of rash and negligent driving against the truck driver. Normal vehicular movement was restored only after both heavy vehicles were removed from the spot." The incident underscores the vulnerability of key city corridors to accidents, especially near ongoing infrastructure projects.
