Mumbai: Weekend rush has slowdown the vehicular moment on Mumbai–Pune Expressway Traffic on Friday morning. Commuter faced sever congestion across the multiple stretches of highway. The surge included both private vehicles and commercial transport, intensifying pressure on the already busy corridor. Office-goers, holidaymakers, and logistics operators were among those affected by the prolonged delays. Commuters reported being stuck in stationary traffic for more than 30 minutes, with long queues of vehicles forming early in the day.
Mumbai bound traffic were the most affected one, where vehicle movement was reduced to crawl. Motorists shared images of severe rush hour traffic on social media. Traffic police and highway authorities deployed to ease bottlenecks, but congestion persisted into the afternoon, and normal traffic flow had not fully resumed.
After a massive traffic snarl on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway that lasted nearly 32 hours was cleared on Thursday, congestion resurfaced early Friday morning, February 6, following a vehicle breakdown near Bhor Ghat. Several vehicles were stranded in the area, bringing traffic to a complete halt during the early hours. Officials said normal traffic movement would resume only after the stuck vehicles are removed. Media reports said long lines of vehicles were seen between the Amrutanjan Bridge and the Khalapur toll plaza. Traffic was crawling in the Khopoli stretch, causing fresh inconvenience and delays for commuters.
Traffic jams on this route have become a routine problem, and the state government has now decided to find a solution. Accordingly, the government is set to prepare a plan for a new Shirur–Chakan–Talegaon–Karjat highway. The number of vehicles heading towards Mumbai has increased significantly.
A large volume of vehicles comes from Pune, Kolhapur, and the Marathwada region. As a result, vehicles traveling from Marathwada and Ahilyanagar towards Mumbai now enter the expressway via Lonavala through the Chakan–Talegaon route. This leads to congestion in the Khandala ghat section.