Navi Mumbai, Feb 19: Traffic congestion returned to the Mumbai–Pune Expressway on Thursday, barely two weeks after a 33-hour gridlock had crippled movement along the busy corridor, with commuters on the Pune-bound lane facing long queues and slow movement for hours.
Advocate forced to cancel Pune visit
Among those affected was a Navi Mumbai-based advocate who was headed to Pune for an arbitration matter but was forced to cancel the meeting and turn back midway due to the traffic snarl.
“We started at 8.30 am from Nerul and even by 12 pm we had not reached Lonavala. At one spot, we found a cop who guided us with a cut on the divider for a U-turn and we returned back,” the advocate said.
Panic after recent 33-hour gridlock
Commuters said they were unaware of the reason behind the slow movement, which triggered panic in view of the massive 33-hour traffic jam earlier this month.
On February 3 evening, a tanker carrying highly inflammable propylene gas had overturned near the Adoshi tunnel in Bor Ghat, leading to a complete halt in traffic. The vehicle was finally cleared in the wee hours of February 5 after prolonged rescue and safety operations.
Lane closure for repair work
Explaining Thursday’s congestion, Additional SP (Highway Traffic) Tanaji Chikhale said that one of the three Pune-bound lanes was closed for repair work being undertaken by IRB Infrastructure.
“We do not permit repair works on weekends, so a weekday was chosen. The work began on Wednesday morning and is estimated to take 48 hours. When the traffic jam increased, we blocked the Mumbai-bound road for 20 minutes, released traffic on the Pune lane gradually, and allowed U-turns for those who wished to return. A total of three blocks on alternate lanes were taken to ease the traffic,” Chikhale said.
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Traffic improves after police intervention
Traffic movement gradually improved after intervention by highway police, officials added.
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