Traffic Jams Snarl Mumbai-Pune Expressway
Commuters on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway experienced significant delays due to heavy traffic congestion. The snarl-up lasted for several hours, disrupting travel between the two major cities.
- A recent major disruption occurred in early February 2026 when a tanker carrying flammable propylene gas overturned near the Adoshi tunnel, leading to a complete traffic halt and a jam that lasted for over 30 hours. This incident caused a 22-kilometer-long queue of vehicles. - The Khandala and Bor Ghat sections are frequent chokepoints where the six-lane expressway effectively merges with the older four-lane highway, squeezing traffic from ten lanes into six and causing persistent bottlenecks. The geography of the ghat section, with its steep gradients and sharp curves, naturally slows down traffic. - Between January and November 2025, the expressway saw a 2% marginal drop in accidents and a 26% dip in fatalities compared to the same period in 2024. There were 172 accidents reported, with 54 being fatal, resulting in 61 deaths. - To enhance safety, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has installed an Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) which utilizes AI, IoT, and video analytics. This system is credited with helping to reduce accident numbers. - The MSRDC is planning a major expansion to widen the expressway from six to ten lanes to handle the surging traffic volume, which can reach up to 100,000 vehicles daily. The estimated cost for this project is ₹14,260 crore and is targeted for completion by 2030. - A 13.3-km "missing link" project is under construction to bypass the congested Lonavala and Khandala ghat sections. Expected to be completed by May 2026, it aims to reduce travel distance by 6 km and travel time by about 25 minutes. - In addition to long-term projects, authorities sometimes implement temporary "traffic blocks," where they halt traffic on one carriageway to allow vehicles on the more congested side to use those lanes for short periods to clear pile-ups. - Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has announced that construction on a second Mumbai-Pune Expressway will begin soon to alleviate congestion on the current one.
