Union minister visit Navale Bridge accident site, calls for permanent solution

Union minister Murlidhar Mohol warned that if gaps in coordination among PMC, NHAI, PMRDA, district administration, or police are found, action will be taken.

Pune: A day after eight persons were killed and twenty others injured in an accident on Navale Bridge on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway, Union minister Murlidhar Mohol, Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, and senior officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Friday inspected the site and called for a permanent solution to prevent further tragedies.

Union minister visit Navale Bridge accident site, calls for permanent solution

A meeting of all agencies has been called on November 15, said officials.

A container truck travelling from Satara to Mumbai lost control and ploughed into over 20 vehicles, setting off a chain collision, causing a massive fire on Thursday.

NHAI officials confirmed that the central road ministry has already approved the crucial project to reduce the steep road gradient between Swaminarayan Temple and Navale Bridge Chowk, a stretch notorious for repeat accidents, and that the proposal now awaits funding clearance and cabinet approval.

Sanjay Kadam, project director, NHAI Pune, said, “The stretch from Swaminarayan Temple to Navale Bridge Chowk is one of the key black spots in our NHAI list for the Pune division. We have implemented several precautionary measures over the years, but the core issue is the slope gradient. A detailed project report (DPR) has now been prepared to improve the gradient from Jambhulwadi Dari Pool bridge to Navale Bridge Chowk. The gradient, which is currently 3.4%, will be brought down to 2.5% once the work is completed.”

“During today’s spot inspection, we identified steps that can be implemented immediately. Additional thermo-plastic rumblers will be installed on the slope, along with other short-term infrastructure measures,” Kadam said.

Mohol termed the accident ‘extremely tragic’ and assured strict action and rapid implementation of corrective measures. “Short-term and long-term interventions will be implemented so that such incidents do not recur. A meeting of all concerned agencies will be held on Saturday to finalise short-term steps,” he said.

Mohol confirmed that the long-pending elevated road project from Narhe to Ravet via Sutardwadi, a 32 km stretch estimated at ₹6,000 crore, has already received DPR approval. “I will follow up with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to fast-track the elevated corridor, which is a long-term solution to stop accidents in this belt,” he said.

“Some short-term measures like increasing rumblers, speed guns, and closing puncture points have already been implemented. This has reduced accidents in the past two-three years. But yesterday’s tragedy shows that permanent measures must now be expedited,” he said.

Outlining the immediate steps, he added, “Truck load and brake checks will be done at Khed-Shivapur toll, speed-gun enforcement will be intensified, rumblers will be increased, and service roads must be fully developed. We will also examine whether heavy vehicles can be diverted via alternate routes.”

Mohol warned that if gaps in coordination among PMC, NHAI, PMRDA, district administration, or police are found, action will be taken.

Residents of Narhe have repeatedly highlighted the dangers on the stretch. Rohit Ghuge, a local shop owner, said, “We hear about measures every time a big accident happens. What we need is permanent road correction. Unless the slope is redesigned, accidents will continue. We hope this time the government actually follows through.”

Another resident, Shweta Borate, who lives near the highway, said, “Every few months, we see crashes here. It is terrifying, especially at night. Rumblers and speed guns help, but the real problem is the steep gradient and speeding trucks. We just want the authorities to act before more lives are lost.”

Himmat Jadhav, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said that the focus now is on implementing practical steps quickly.

“Among the urgent measures, installing rumbler strips, reflector lights and precautionary boards on this slope will be done immediately. We have to intensify coordinated enforcement and engineering solutions,” Jadhav said.

As short-term steps, authorities decided to install LED warning boards, thermoplastic rumblers, cat-eyes, speed-control barricades, and additional speed guns on the slope between Jambhulwadi and Navale. A check-post will be set up for brake and load inspection of heavy vehicles, and lane restrictions with revised speed limits will be enforced. Daily action will be intensified against wrong-side driving and lane discipline violations.

Medium-term measures include service road widening, land acquisition, and completing the pending bridge works by March 2026. For a permanent solution, NHAI will execute major long-term projects such as new underpasses and a 16.4 km, six-lane elevated road between Jambhulwadi and Sutardwadi–Pashan.