Traffic on the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Samruddhi Mahamarg near Bharvir in Nashik district is being stopped for one hour three times a day as authorities install protective safety nets on hill slopes and near tunnel entrances to prevent rockfalls and landslides. The restrictions will remain in place until November 6, while the opposite carriageway remains open.
According to the highway police, traffic in the Nagpur-Mumbai direction is halted between 10 am and 11 am, 1 pm and 2 pm, and 4 pm and 5 pm every day to allow the slope-protection work to proceed. The Mumbai-Nagpur carriageway has not been closed.
Assistant inspector Ram Vhonde of the highway police said the stoppages were limited to the lane leading towards Mumbai. “Vehicular traffic is stopped for some time only on the lane leading to Mumbai. The Mumbai-Nagpur side has not been closed,” Vhonde said.
The work is focused on installing safety nets near hill slopes and tunnel entrances, where falling rocks and unstable terrain can pose risks to vehicles using the expressway. The traffic restrictions are being implemented near the Bharvir interchange, allowing vehicles to leave the expressway before reaching the work zone and reducing the possibility of motorists being stranded during the shutdown periods.
Motorists travelling towards Mumbai during the affected hours can exit the expressway at the Bharvir interchange, use the Mumbai-Agra highway and re-enter the Samruddhi Mahamarg near Pimpri Sado at the Igatpuri interchange. The diversion provides an alternative route for vehicles that cannot wait for the one-hour stoppage to end.
Highway police officials said adequate personnel had been deployed for traffic management and to prevent congestion around the closure point. They said the temporary restrictions had not resulted in major traffic pile-ups so far because traffic was being stopped near the Bharvir interchange, before vehicles reached the location where the safety work was under way.
The daily halts will continue through November 6, with traffic management arrangements remaining in place during the three scheduled work windows. Motorists using the Mumbai-bound carriageway have been advised to account for the stoppages or use the designated diversion during these periods.
