E-Paper
Pune-Bengaluru highway traffic jammed; long vehicle queues till New Katraj Tunnel
City police has appealed citizens to exercise caution while driving in the road stretch area and ensure that all safety precautions were followed to avoid accidents
Continuous rain on Wednesday, along with road repair work and potholes caused a massive traffic jam between Navale bridge and Warje. Commuters said that bumper to bumper traffic with a 4 km long traffic queue till New Katraj Tunnel was observed on Wednesday causing inconvenience.
From the river bridge to the New Katraj Tunnel, an extensive line of vehicles was formed, causing a complete standstill on the highway. The incessant rain has had a significant impact on traffic flow, exacerbating the situation. Additionally, the roads in Warje area, which connect to the highway, have also experienced severe congestion.
DCP (traffic) Vijay Magar said, “The traffic problem is mainly due to huge potholes which are unrepaired and filled with water. Motorists find it difficult to wade through such troughs leading to chaotic scenes. However, the situation has worsened and they need to be repaired at the earliest.”
Commuter Sanjay Singh said, “The highway road condition is worst due to huge potholes. We want the highways authorities and all agencies to act in unison to ensure that the potholes are repaired at the earliest.”
Meanwhile, the city police has appealed citizens to exercise caution while driving in the road stretch area and ensure that all safety precautions were followed to avoid accidents. The Pune-Bengaluru highway is one of the busiest transport corridors passing through the city . The Katraj New Tunnel to Vadgaon Bridge stretch of the highway, which covers a distance of 4 km, is an accident prone area.
During the last nine years from 2014 to April 2023, a total of 84 deaths, 235 injuries, 215 accidents, and 165 cases of damage to vehicles have been reported in this area.
