Pune-Mumbai expressway saw up to 10-km long queues on Saturday with a huge number of people out for a weekend getaway to some tourist places like Goa, Lonavla, Mahabaleshwar and Tapola that the speed corridor leads to.
Traffic movement between Mumbai and Lonavla was reportedly affected the most and long queues of vehicles extending up to 10 kilometres were seen at the ghat section of the expressway and at Lonavla as well, a TOI report mentioned.
Bumper-to-bumper traffic was reported at Khed-Shivapur toll plaza, Wele Phata, Wai Phata, Malkapur Naka and Karad Naka on the Pune-Bengaluru highway stretch between Kolhapur and Pune, the report said.
It took about two hours for people to cross the Khandala ghat section, police said.
Many motorists from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai took the expressway to reach Lonavla-Khandala and Mahabaleshwar, the report cited officials of Highway Safety Patrol (HSP), Pune, as saying. The vehicular movement peaked after 8 am when a large number of cars, SUVs and minibuses came on the road, leading to traffic snarls.
“It is a long weekend and people want to enjoy holidays at tourist destinations such as Lonavla, Khandala and Mahabaleshwar. Vehicles are moving at snail’s pace. The Mumbai corridor (lanes leading to Mumbai from Pune) was empty, though,” TOI quoted Superintendent of police, HSP, Lata Phad, as saying.
She said that the ghat section witnessed the traffic jam because of the weekend rush, adding that additional manpower has been deputed at Khandala and Lonavla to clear the traffic.
“The traffic jam situation prevailed till 1pm. The number of vehicles reduced thereafter, giving us some respite for an hour or so,” she said.
She added that number of vehicles increased again after 2 pm and there was traffic jam on the Pune corridor once more. The congestion continued till the evening, she said.
Six persons were injured on Thursday in a pile-up caused by a truck hitting more than 10 vehicles after its brakes failed on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
The incident took place at 12:55pm near Khopoli in Raigad district, some 75 kilometres from Mumbai, and the injured included a man, his wife and mother, an official said.
“A truck proceeding from Pune to Mumbai went out of control, possibly due to brake failure, and rammed into 11 vehicles. Six persons, including three women, have sustained minor injuries in the pile-up. One woman has been sent to MGM Hospital in Panvel,” the official said.
(With PTI inputs)
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