Mumbai-Pune expressway chaos: A simple 3-hour journey turned into an 8-hour ordeal

We left for Pune at around 9am from Mumbai, expecting a smooth three-hour ride on India's first six-lane expressway. The journey quickly turned into a nightmare the moment we crossed the Bhatan tunnel. Vehicles ahead were being asked to halt, and we noticed several cars returning on the Pune-bound side even though the Mumbai-bound carriageway appeared free.

What should have been a comfortable 3-hour journey turned into a harrowing 8 hour long experience.




As we inched forward, more vehicles began taking U-turns, creating confusion and frustration among commuters who had no idea what had gone wrong. Then a police van pulled up and instructed us to take a U-turn and head back via the Old Mumbai-Pune Highway because traffic was being diverted from the Expressway as the propylene-carrying tanker that had overturned in the Khandala Ghat section on Feb 3 had not been cleared. We turned back towards Panvel and entered the old highway, where the road was relatively clear until we reached Khopoli. There, we were caught in a traffic jam that moved at a snail's pace for nearly three hours.

When we called the traffic helpline (98224-98224), we were informed that vehicles on the ghat were being moved in a phased manner wherein traffic police were letting Mumbai bound vehicles travel in a single file on the Pune bound carriageway as officials were still trying to contain the propylene gas and had shut the Mumbai bound carriageway.

Due to the endless delay and the lack of information regarding the status of the traffic, several cars had overheated and added to the chaos highlighting the urgent need for real-time, frequent traffic advisories, through SMS, apps, social media, so that travellers can make informed decisions and avoid getting trapped in such crisis. However, despite all the mayhem, traffic police were guiding vehicles at every juncture along the ghat and helping commuters whose cars had broken down. While luxury buses full of anxious passengers heading towards Mumbai were waiting, police officials were seen buying water bottles in bulk along with snacks and handing them out. A few passengers were spotted sitting on the road playing cards as well making light of an otherwise difficult situation.