Traffic on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway came to a near standstill on Thursday, as an unrelenting stream of vehicles clogged the arterial corridor linking the two major cities.
The gridlock, triggered by the onset of a long weekend, led to widespread delays, particularly on the Pune-bound carriageway where congestion stretched for nearly eight kilometres through the Khandala Ghat section. Despite the presence of highway patrol units, vehicular movement remained sluggish well into the afternoon, exacerbating commuter distress and highlighting long-standing gaps in holiday traffic management on one of India’s busiest toll roads.
The expressway, designed to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Pune to under three hours, is once again under scrutiny as frustrated travellers reported delays of up to an hour while inching forward at a crawl. A chorus of voices on social media lamented the inefficiency, with several questioning the justification for high toll rates given the lack of seamless mobility. Many passengers were seen stranded in private vehicles and buses, with children, elderly citizens and tourists visibly discomfited by the halt in movement and lack of access to roadside amenities during peak hours.
Such bottlenecks have become a ritualistic ordeal during festive or extended weekends when thousands of urban families plan getaways to scenic spots in Lonavala, Mahabaleshwar, Satara and Kolhapur. With the Mumbai–Pune Expressway serving as the only fast-track route to these locations, the infrastructure often collapses under pressure. Despite knowing these travel patterns, there appears to be little proactive traffic distribution strategy, staggered travel advisories, or expanded access through alternative routes. The absence of coordinated planning not only hinders passenger movement but also increases fuel consumption and vehicular emissions, further undermining Maharashtra’s broader sustainability goals.
Authorities continue to urge patience among motorists, but such advisories offer little consolation in the face of perennial mismanagement. With no significant enhancement in transport alternatives, such as increased frequency of intercity trains or investment in public buses on high-demand weekends, the expressway remains the only viable conduit for tens of thousands. This over-reliance on a single stretch of road raises urgent questions around transport equity, sustainable mobility, and resilience of urban infrastructure. As cities like Mumbai and Pune inch towards climate-resilient urban planning, there is a pressing need to invest in multimodal corridors and intelligent traffic systems that can withstand the seasonal surges in demand.
While the long weekend has just begun, the early signs of vehicular saturation signal another painful episode for Maharashtra’s intercity travellers. Unless mitigated by swift administrative reforms and infrastructure upgrades, the Mumbai–Pune Expressway will continue to symbolise the widening gap between urban growth and transit governance, with the public bearing the brunt every time a holiday approaches.
