Mumbai Pune Expressway : Shiv Jayanti holiday 'Mumbai-Pune' Expressway stalled; massive traffic jam near Khandala tunnel
Once again, there is a massive traffic jam on the Mumbai-Pune route today, causing travelers to be stuck for hours. There are long queues of vehicles near the Khandala tunnel on the Mumbai Pune Expressway. Vehicles are moving very slowly in both directions, causing great distress to travelers. Due to Shiv Jayanti, many have a holiday today, Thursday, and with tomorrow being Friday followed by the weekend, a large number of people have gone out for tourism. As a result, traffic has increased tremendously in the Lonavala-Khandala ghat area. The situation has worsened especially due to the congestion near the tunnel.
Videos of this congestion are going viral on social media, and it appears that traffic towards Mumbai was completely halted for some time. There are queues of vehicles stretching for several kilometers, and some passengers are seen standing on the road after getting out of their vehicles. Citizens have expressed dissatisfaction due to the heat, waste of time, and fuel wastage.
Earlier, near the Aadoshi tunnel, a tanker carrying flammable propylene gas overturned, causing traffic to be halted for a full 32 hours. This being the second major jam immediately after that incident raises questions about the administration's planning. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has announced the preparation of a special emergency traffic management plan to effectively deal with such situations in the future. The 13.3 km long 'Missing Link' project, being constructed as an alternative to the accident-prone Khandala-Lonavala ghat route, is expected to be crucial in reducing traffic congestion.
This route, which includes two tunnels and a cable-stayed bridge between Kusgaon and Khopoli, is expected to reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Pune by about 30 minutes. Experts believe that once this project is completed, the stress on the winding and dangerous roads in the ghat area will be reduced. However, travelers are currently being urged to remain patient. Traffic police and related agencies are making efforts to smooth the situation. In the context of the weekend, it is anticipated that the vehicle congestion will continue for the next two days.