Congestion, which began early Thursday, stretched for nearly 9 km; frustrated commuters vent anger on social media
A huge traffic jam was witnessed on the expressway since Thursday morning. PIC/X@RamnathJayraman
Frustrated commuters took to social media to vent their anger after massive traffic snarls brought the Mumbai-Pune Expressway to a virtual standstill. The congestion, which began early on Thursday morning, stretched for nearly 8-9 km, forcing thousands of travellers to remain stuck for hours.
The traffic chaos coincided with Christmas Day celebrations and a series of consecutive holidays, prompting a surge of tourists heading towards popular hill stations such as Lonavla and Khandala. The sudden spike in vehicular movement overwhelmed the expressway, particularly in the ghat sections.
Roshan T, a commuter travelling from Pune to Mumbai, expressed his frustration, saying, “It’s the same situation every time. Travelling during weekends and festivals has become extremely troublesome. There is no long-term planning to manage the rush.”
From early morning, traffic crawled through the Khandala ghat, where narrow curves, steep gradients and even minor vehicle breakdowns led to complete disruption. Several motorists reported being stranded inside their vehicles for over an hour, with no clarity on when traffic would ease.
The congestion caused severe inconvenience to senior citizens, women and families with young children. In some stretches, tourists were seen stopping their vehicles on the roadside to take photographs, further worsening the situation.
Another commuter, Rutuja Patel, criticised the authorities for lack of preparedness. “It is disgusting that half of our travel time was wasted in traffic. Why can’t authorities anticipate such a rush and make arrangements in advance? Heavy vehicles should be restricted on the expressway during festive daytime hours, at least temporarily.”
As tempers flared, commuters flooded social media platforms with videos and images, warning others to avoid the expressway. Hashtags related to expressway traffic chaos trended locally, reflecting widespread public anger.
Traffic police imposed a temporary restriction on heavy vehicles and introduced partial one-way traffic diversions in an attempt to ease
congestion. However, the situation remained difficult until afternoon.
With Christmas and New Year holidays continuing, traffic police have advised commuters to avoid non-essential travel, plan journeys during off-peak hours, and consider alternate routes to prevent further inconvenience. According to officials, over 60,000 vehicles use the expressway daily, with numbers rising sharply during holiday periods.
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