Mumbai-Pune Expressway traffic again disrupted after another gas tanker accident

Traffic on the Pune-Mumbai highway faced disruptions after a propylene tanker hit a barrier, but congestion cleared within 30 minutes. No injuries reported.

Traffic movement on the Pune–Mumbai highway faced fresh disruptions on Monday morning after a propylene gas tanker rammed into a crash barrier near the Amrutanjan Bridge. The incident comes a few weeks after a 32-hour-long traffic gridlock on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, which was also triggered by an accident involving a propylene tanker and left commuters stranded without access to food, drinking water, or restrooms.

The 32-hour-long traffic gridlock on Mumbai-Pune Expressway on February 4. (PTI)

In the latest incident, the tanker lost control and hit the roadside barrier before coming to a halt, according to the Highway Police. No injuries or gas leakage were reported. Police and traffic personnel rushed to the spot and shifted the tanker to another location to clear the carriageway, and are investigating the cause of the incident.

“Traffic congestion was reported on three lanes but was normalised within half an hour after the tanker was shifted,” said Tanaji Chikhale, superintendent of police (Raigad), highway police.

On February 3, the overturning of a propylene tanker near the Adoshi tunnel in the Khandala ghat triggered a prolonged shutdown of the Mumbai–Pune Expressway. It took authorities 32 hours to transfer the gas and remove the tanker, restoring traffic on the expressway by early February 5. It was the longest traffic gridlock in the history of the 94.5km-long Mumbai–Pune Expressway.