Thane: Heavy traffic congestion was witnessed on Ghodbunder Road on Saturday morning. Road repair work on the Thane-Ghodbunder Road, State Highway No. 84, from the Gaimukh Ghat section to Thane Ghodbunder Road, is scheduled to be carried out from April 26 (Saturday) to April 29 (Tuesday).
In view of this, the traffic department issued a notification regarding alternate routes for vehicles. Ghodbunder Road is a vital connection between Thane, Palghar, and Mumbai. Therefore, due to the road repairs, traffic was diverted from Kapurbawadi towards Bhiwandi.
However, the number of heavy vehicles suddenly surged on Saturday night, and many used Ghodbunder Road despite the restrictions. As a result, traffic congestion occurred along this stretch. Heavy traffic was also witnessed on the Bhiwandi to Majiwada road, causing office-goers and daily commuters to face severe difficulties and be stranded for hours.
The condition of Gaimukh Road has worsened, making repair work necessary to fix the pothole-ridden stretches. Some days ago, the Thane Traffic Police had issued a notification about traffic movements on Ghodbunder Road, warning that these would be affected due to the scheduled road repairs from Saturday, April 26, to Tuesday, April 29, according to officials.
Although traffic diversions were implemented on Saturday night, the sudden surge of heavy vehicles caused traffic jams from Kapurbawadi to Anand Nagar. Sources said that many vehicles tried to access Ghodbunder Road despite it being restricted as per the notification. As a result, the road became completely jammed. Office-goers heading towards their workplaces faced traffic congestion for several hours.
Long traffic jams were witnessed from Gaimukh on Ghodbunder Road to Kapurbawadi, and from Gaimukh to the Fountain Hotel. The Traffic Police strictly warned heavy vehicles to use the Kapurbawadi route via Bhiwandi. Following this, around 9 AM, traffic gradually stabilized. However, heavy traffic was again seen on Saturday afternoon from Kasarvadavali to Waghbil and near Cadbury Bridge.
DCP Pankaj Shirsat, Thane Traffic said, "Despite the notification, the drivers did not follow instructions, which led to a traffic jam. We will take legal action or file an FIR against the traffic violators or wrong-side drivers. However, on Saturday, our team penalized a total of hundreds of people who violated traffic norms. Shirsat appealed to the people to follow the instructions or notifications issued by the traffic police regarding Ghodbunder Road."
