A major traffic jam on Ghodbunder Road left passengers travelling from the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar and Mumbai areas towards their Konkan hometowns stranded for nearly one to one-and-a-half hours on Saturday morning, as the Ganeshotsav travel rush intensified ahead of Monday’s festival.
According to a report by Loksatta – Vasai-Virar, long queues formed between Chena Bridge and Owala on the Ghodbunder route. Vehicles moved slowly even across stretches that would normally take only a few minutes to cover, causing significant delays for motorists and public transport passengers.
The congestion followed an increase in vehicles leaving the Mumbai Metropolitan Region for villages in Konkan for Ganeshotsav. Residents of Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar and Mumbai had begun their journeys from Saturday, creating heavy traffic on a route already used by thousands of commuters each day.
The report attributed the disruption to the combination of the narrow Ghodbunder ghat section and the sharp rise in vehicle numbers during the festival period. State transport buses were also reported to be caught in the congestion, extending delays to passengers who were not travelling by private vehicle.
Road conditions added to the problem. Pothole-filling work on the route was expected to be taken up by the administration a few days earlier, but the work was postponed because of the heavy flow of traffic. Travellers complained that the potholes, combined with the narrow carriageway, were worsening the traffic situation.
The Ghodbunder corridor is a critical east-west road link connecting the Thane and Mira-Bhayandar sides of the metropolitan region. During major festivals, its regular commuter traffic is supplemented by longer-distance private vehicles and buses heading towards northern Maharashtra and the Konkan region. The reported congestion shows how limited road width and delayed maintenance can quickly reduce movement on a corridor serving both daily urban travel and seasonal intercity journeys.
The disruption also affected public transport operations, with buses unable to move normally through the affected stretch. This increased the impact on passengers who rely on scheduled services and left travellers facing longer journey times during a period of concentrated movement.
Traffic police appealed to people travelling for essential work to consider the Mumbai route instead. The advisory was issued as authorities managed the congestion on the Ghodbunder Road stretch between Chena Bridge and Owala.
The report did not provide a revised schedule for the postponed pothole-filling work or details of any additional traffic-management measures. The immediate traffic-police advisory remains the stated alternative for essential travellers while congestion continues on the affected corridor.
