On Wednesday morning, Mumbaikars traveling via the Western Express Highway (WEH) faced significant disruptions as a truck overturned on the Aarey flyover. The incident occurred around 8 am and may have been caused by the vehicle skidding on the rain-soaked road, resulting in slippery conditions. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
However, it took the authorities approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes to clear the truck and restore normal traffic flow. Mumbai Traffic Police (MTP) confirmed the removal of the truck and the resumption of smooth traffic at 9:41 am through a tweet.
Due to the prolonged halt of vehicles for 1 hour and 40 minutes, a substantial backlog of traffic had already accumulated. The incident occurred during the peak hours between 7 am to 11 am, when the number of vehicles on the road is particularly high. Unfortunately, no traffic diversions were in place during this period, exacerbating the congestion on the Western Express Highway.
Traffic Congestion and Route Bottlenecks
After the truck was cleared, traffic resumed but at a slow pace. Multiple routes on the Western Express Highway experienced congestion, including the Jogeshwari Flyover, Link Road, Aarey Flyover, and Dahisar Flyover, among others. To avoid the congestion on WEH, some motorists opted to travel below the road in Goregaon East, resulting in yet another bottleneck in that area.
Twitter Updates and Frustrated Commuters
Until 11:30 am, commuters reported that the estimated travel time was stuck at 52 minutes, indicating the persisting traffic congestion. Many took to Twitter to share their experiences, with one commuter stating that traffic had increased from 45 minutes to 52 minutes and continued to rise due to jams on the Goregaon WEH. Another user mentioned an accident on the Aarey flyover, causing a traffic jam extending up to Jogeshwari, and expressed surprise about how the truck managed to climb the flyover.
Continued Traffic Woes and Disregard for "No-Honking" Day
Numerous motorists found themselves stuck in traffic for an extended period, with one individual expressing frustration about being stranded on the Jogeshwari East-West flyover for 20 minutes due to poor traffic management. Amid these traffic issues, the "No-Honking" day declared by the Mumbai Traffic Police for Wednesday went largely unnoticed as motorists focused on reaching their destinations amidst the long queues of traffic.
