Two lanes closed for 30 min as tanker runs into divider at Amrutanjan Point
Two lanes closed for 30 min as tanker runs into divider at Amrutanjan Point
Au00a0major oil spill on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway caused by a speeding oil tanker running into the road divider yesterday morning forced authorities to close down two lanes, resulting in a bottleneck at the spot.
The spill occurred at Amrutanjan Point in Khandala, a spot in the ghat section of the high-speed highway that has been identified as a dangerous one by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI).
The accident took place around 11.30 am. Officers from the Borghat police station left for the spot as soon as they received a distress call.
There were two people in the tanker, including the driver, but nobody was injured, said the police.
Repair work delay
MiD DAY had reported about the dangerous spots identified by the CRRI in its report. Officials of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, which is in-charge of carrying out repair works, had said at the time that lack of funds meant repairing these spots would take two years.
Officials at the Borghat police station said the driver of the oil tanker said he lost control over the vehicle because its brakes failed. They said the tanker was already going fast and could not be controlled because of the steep slope near Amrutanjan Point.
"The oil pipe of the tanker broke, after which the entire stretch got slippery because of the spillage. So as a safety measure, we had to close down traffic on two lanes of the Expressway," said Police Constable Jadhav.
"It took half-an-hour to clean up the stretch and then we opened up one lane for traffic. It took another 30 minutes to get traffic back to normal."
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