Severe traffic congestion paralysed Ghodbunder Road and the adjoining National Highway 48 in Thane on Tuesday, trapping hundreds of commuters — including 500 schoolchildren — for over five hours. The gridlock, triggered by ongoing repair work along the Gaimukh stretch, exposed the dire condition of this critical corridor linking Thane city to the Mumbai–Ahmedabad highway.
Ghodbunder Road, which connects Majiwada junction in Thane to Fountain Hotel near Mira Road, has long been plagued by potholes and chronic congestion. The latest traffic collapse was a result of partial road closures for geometric improvement and asphalting undertaken by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation. Despite advance notifications, the restriction of heavy vehicles along the Gaimukh Ghat section from October 11 to 14 failed to prevent chaos, as thousands of vehicles were caught in standstill traffic for several hours. The worst affected were students returning to Mumbai from a school trip near Vasai, who spent nearly 10 hours stranded on the highway without access to basic amenities. According to teachers accompanying the group, the children endured exhaustion and discomfort as their buses were immobilised along the jammed highway. “The journey became unbearable, with no access to food or drinking water,” said one of the staff members.
Officials from the Mira Bhayandar–Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police admitted that the repair work was essential due to the dangerous condition of the Gaimukh Ghat stretch. However, they acknowledged that poor coordination and lack of driver awareness about the scheduled restrictions led to massive pile-ups across the corridor. To manage traffic, authorities alternated vehicle flow from both ends, but the closure of two lanes reduced road capacity by half, creating bottlenecks that extended for over 20 kilometres. The cascading effects were felt across the 120-km stretch of NH48, from Dahisar to Achhad near the Maharashtra–Gujarat border. Commuters reported serpentine queues lasting up to 15 hours, with many heavy vehicles forced to park on the roadside at multiple checkpoints. Transport experts said the congestion reflects systemic neglect of highway infrastructure in Thane and Palghar districts — a region crucial for industrial logistics and regional connectivity.
“This is not just a traffic issue but a governance failure,” said a transport policy expert. “Repair works are necessary, but they must be planned with better communication, alternate routes, and clear diversions to prevent such collapses. Uncoordinated road maintenance undermines economic productivity and public safety.” Manufacturers and logistics operators based in Vasai and Bhiwandi echoed similar frustration. The delay, they said, has disrupted deliveries during the crucial pre-Diwali production period. “We lose man-hours daily due to poor roads and congestion. Despite being a key industrial zone, infrastructure here remains neglected,” said an industrial representative.
Traffic officials maintained that the public had been informed about the ongoing works and advised to avoid non-essential travel during the period. However, the chaos has reignited long-standing demands for a sustainable mobility strategy for Thane’s arterial network — one that integrates road maintenance, multimodal transport, and green urban planning. Unless such systemic changes are prioritised, Ghodbunder Road may continue to symbolise Mumbai’s worsening infrastructure paradox: rapid urbanisation without resilient mobility planning.
Ghodbunder Repairs Paralyse NH48 As 500 Schoolchildren Stranded In Traffic For Hours
