Residents have urged the Raigad administration to reserve a five-metre-wide lane for small vehicles on the Gavan Phata–Dighode road in Navi Mumbai’s wider Panvel-Uran region, citing recurring traffic jams, heavy-vehicle parking and road accidents.
The demand concerns one side of the four-lane concrete road connecting Gavan Phata in Panvel taluka with Dighode in Uran taluka. In a written statement submitted during a programme commemorating the forest satyagraha at Chirner, citizens asked the administration to separate the lane with a cement concrete divider and bar heavy vehicles from entering or parking on it.
Residents said trailers and other heavy vehicles use the route in large numbers and are frequently parked along both sides of the road. According to their statement, the obstruction causes congestion and makes it difficult for local travellers to use the road. It also affects the movement of ambulances and other emergency vehicles, they said.
The citizens linked the traffic conditions to several accidents on the route. Local resident Naresh Patil said the connectivity had witnessed many mishaps because of the movement of heavy vehicles on the busy highway. The statement did not specify the number of accidents or provide details of individual incidents.
The proposed arrangement would reserve the five-metre lane for small vehicles while keeping heavy vehicles out of it. Residents have also asked the administration to undertake soil filling along the roadside wherever necessary so that the lane can be made properly usable. They said the physical separation would help prevent heavy vehicles from occupying the lane or parking along it.
Citizens pointed to a similar traffic arrangement on Vahal bridge in Panvel taluka and asked that it be replicated immediately on the Gavan Phata–Dighode road. Their proposal is aimed at reducing congestion and improving safety for local road users, while preserving a clearer passage for emergency vehicles.
The written statement was submitted to Raigad guardian minister Bharat Gogavale, Raigad zilla parishad president Mangesh Wakadikar and local MLA Mahesh Baldi. Residents urged the administration to act on the proposal, citing traffic congestion, roadside parking and public safety concerns.
The group also said residents were prepared to provide voluntary labour if the government lacked funds for the project. The report did not indicate whether the administration or the road authority had accepted the proposal, announced a site inspection or set a timeline for implementing the lane arrangement.
