Mumbai-Pune Expressway Faces Severe Weekend Gridlock Once Again
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, a critical transportation corridor, experienced another severe weekend traffic gridlock this Saturday, continuing a troubling pattern of congestion that has become almost routine for commuters. The expressway was brought to a virtual standstill, with lumbering trailers and heavy vehicles choking the ghat sections and transforming peak-hour movement into a sluggish and exhausting ordeal for thousands of travelers.
Election-Related Travel and Heavy Vehicles Compound the Problem
Highway police officials have attributed the latest traffic surge primarily to local body election-related travel. According to authorities, the zilla parishad and panchayat samiti elections have prompted significant movement of people between villages and cities, adding substantial volume to the already busy expressway. Furthermore, heavy vehicles that had been stalled for two to three days following a recent tanker accident have resumed movement simultaneously, exacerbating the congestion.
"Due to the elections, many people are travelling between villages and cities. Heavy vehicles that were stalled for the past few days have also started moving at once," explained a highway police official, highlighting the dual factors behind the gridlock.
Commuters Endure Significant Delays and Frustration
Travelers caught in Saturday's congestion reported substantial delays, with journey times increasing by over an hour on multiple sections of the route. The traffic remained sluggish throughout the day, forcing commuters to spend unusually long periods reaching their destinations.
"Traffic stayed sluggish throughout the day, and people are still taking unusually long to reach their destinations. Even today, vehicle movement was extremely slow. We had more than 25 cars travelling from Pune to Mumbai, and the trip ended up taking over five hours," said Pradeep Malpote, CEO of KP Travels, illustrating the severe impact on transportation services.
Heavy Vehicles Identified as Primary Culprits
Malpote specifically blamed heavy vehicles for the expressway's persistent traffic problems. "Trucks and containers are responsible for most of the congestion. Many of them straddle multiple lanes, leaving hardly any space for smaller vehicles to move," he stated, pointing to lane discipline issues that compound the traffic flow problems.
Recent Incident Adds to Ongoing Traffic Woes
This latest bottleneck comes barely days after a major 32-hour traffic ordeal caused by the overturning of a propylene tanker near the Adoshi tunnel in the Khandala ghat on Tuesday. That incident triggered a massive traffic snarl that stretched up to 50 kilometers at its peak, leaving thousands of commuters stranded and highlighting the expressway's vulnerability to disruptions.
Police Implement Traffic Regulation Measures
In response to the ongoing congestion, police officers have confirmed that intermittent traffic blocks are being enforced to regulate traffic flow and manage the challenging situation. These measures aim to prevent complete gridlock and ensure some degree of movement, though commuters continue to face significant delays and frustration.
The persistent weekend gridlocks on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway underscore the pressing need for improved traffic management strategies and infrastructure enhancements to accommodate the growing volume of vehicles, particularly during peak travel periods and special events like elections.
