Mumbai-Pune expressway choked, three traffic blocks taken to ease pile-up

Navi Mumbai: A day before launching the road safety week celebration, the ghat section of the Pune bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune expressway witnessed massive traffic jam on Thursday. The traffic extended up to 3.5 km between Datta Wadi and Dasturi on the Borghat section. Many stuck in the traffic snarl expressed their displeasures. Three blocks were taken at intervals — between 8 am and 8.30 am, 10 am and 10.30 am, 12 noon to 12.30 pm by the highway safety patrol team to clear the vehicle pile-ups. A team of three officers and 15 constables headed by assistant police inspector Swapnil Patil hit the expressway to manage the traffic. Patil said, "The vehicular movement on the Mumbai bound carriageway was stopped in between the Datta Wadi and Dasturi allowing the carriageway stretch for use by the Pune bound motorists. This way, the traffic movement was brought to normal by afternoon."