Vehicles backed up for about five km in the Bhor Ghat section on the Pune-bound corridor while the traffic flow on the Mumbai-bound corridor was normal though the volume, especially that of cars, was a bit higher than usual, the Expressway control room said
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway often witnesses traffic snarls near the bridge as heavy vehicles slow down to negotiate the stiff gradient. Representational Pic/File
With a heavy rush due to the Maharashtra Day 2025 holiday, the Pune-Mumbai Expressway on Thursday witnessed a massive traffic jam leaving thousands of vehicles stranded, the officials told the PTI.
Vehicles backed up for about five km in the Bhor Ghat section on the Pune-bound corridor while the traffic flow on the Mumbai-bound corridor was normal though the volume, especially that of cars, was a bit higher than usual, the Expressway control room said, according to the PTI.
Traffic control personnel were managing to normalise the movement of vehicles on the Pune-bound carriageway before afternoon, said an official.
A passenger who travelled towards Pune to attend a wedding on Wednesday night said that it took their bus more than an hour to cross the Amritanjan Bridge in the ghat section on the route, as per the PTI.
The expressway often witnesses traffic snarls near the bridge as heavy vehicles slow down to negotiate the stiff gradient.
To bypass this section, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is constructing a 'missing link' road between the Ghat section and the Singhagad institute to the east of Lonavala.
Earlier this week, Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde held a project review meeting on Monday.
An official statement followed after the meeting stated that the work on the much-awaited ‘missing link’ project on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway has reached 95 per cent completion.
The final stage involving construction of the tallest bridge in the project was now underway, an official statement said.
At a review meeting which was held at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai, Shinde instructed engineers and officials to carry out the final bridge work with utmost care and no compromise on quality.
“This is a critical phase. The tallest bridge must be built with continuous safety testing, especially considering wind pressure and height,” Shinde said.
The review meeting was attended by Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse, Soil and Water Conservation Minister Sanjay Rathod, Minister of State for Public Works Meghna Bordikar, Deputy CM’s Principal Secretary Naveen Sona, and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC) Managing Director Anil Gaikwad, among other senior officials, the statement said.
The 13.3 km-long 'missing link' is divided into Package 1 and 2.
The final stage focuses on constructing a high-altitude bridge, which will significantly improve travel time, it said.
Once completed, the new link is expected to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Pune by 20 to 25 minutes.
(with PTI inputs)
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