The Mumbai-Pune Expressway reopened in the early hours of Thursday after remaining shut for nearly 32 hours due to a gas tanker carrying propylene overturning in the Khandala Ghat section of Raigad district, triggering massive traffic congestion and leaving hundreds of commuters stranded.
Traffic resumed at around 1.40 am after cranes were used to clear the damaged tanker, which had capsized around 5 pm on Tuesday on a downward slope in the ghat stretch, causing a gas leak and prompting authorities to suspend movement on the Mumbai-bound carriageway as a safety measure.
Despite both carriageways towards Mumbai and Pune being opened, long queues persisted, particularly near Lonavala, where traffic stretched between five and 10 km. In several stretches spanning nearly 20-22 km, drivers who had been stranded overnight were found asleep inside their vehicles, unaware that traffic had resumed.
Traffic police teams moved along the expressway knocking on vehicle windows to wake drivers and restore movement, particularly between Khandala Pass and Vadgaon Maval within Pune limits, where congestion continued on both the expressway and adjoining old routes.
“Traffic on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway resumed at 1.46 am after the damaged gas tanker was shifted from the accident site,” an official from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said.
Also read: Tanker turns turtle on Mumbai-Pune road; blocks traffic overnight
While congestion in the Bor Ghat section eased significantly by morning, authorities cautioned that normal flow would take time due to the volume of stranded vehicles.
Hundreds of commuters, including women and children, spent hours inside their vehicles without adequate access to food, drinking water or toilet facilities, as the incident brought traffic on India’s first six-lane, access-controlled concrete expressway to a standstill.
The 94.5-km corridor connects Mumbai, Raigad, Navi Mumbai and Pune. Drone visuals released by authorities showed vehicles queued bumper-to-bumper for over 20 km, underlining the scale of the disruption.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and highway police were deployed to secure the site, manage the gas transfer operation and ensure the tanker was removed safely.
Authorities said full normalcy would return only after the accumulated backlog of vehicles is completely cleared.
Follow us
