Four hours later, traffic nightmare ends for Mumbai’s Ghodbunder Road commuters

Mumbai city news: Thousands of vehicles use Ghodbunder Road to reach Mumbai, Navi Mumbai or Thane daily

After four hours of being stuck in traffic, peak-hour congestion along the Ghodbunder Highway has finally cleared.

A container toppled on the Majiwada flyover early on Monday. (HT Photo)

Traffic snarls on the highway began around 7.30 am after a container toppled off the Majiwada flyover at 6 am on Monday. While authorities had moved the container away from the path of vehicles by 9.30 am, the jam continued till 12 pm.

“Container MH04 FO 4543, loaded with electrical cable rolls, fell off the Majiwada flyover while heading towards the Bhiwandi bypass. The cables rolled towards the centre of the junction, leading to the jam. The driver and cleaner were unhurt. Fortunately, there was no one below the flyover when the accident took place, thus, a major disaster was averted. A crane and a hydra reached the site and removed the container and rolls,” said Santosh Kadam, regional disaster management officer, Thane.

Traffic snarls on Ghodbunder Road. (Praful Gangurde)

“The flyover and the road below Majiwada junction were blocked. By mid-morning, the stretch between Brahmand and Majiwada junction on Ghodbunder Road was also blocked,” said a traffic official, who did not wish to be identified.

The jam hit office-goers hard as the service roads were also jammed during peak hours, while the road has no bypass. Several frustrated motorists commuting to work via Ghodbunder Road chose to return home, said sources.

“I left home around 8 am and saw that vehicles were not moving beyond Manpada. When I checked one of the traffic apps on my phone, I saw that traffic showed no signs of moving. I finally gave up and took a U-turn the first chance I got,” said Vishal Gajre, 38, an office-goer.

Office-goers on their way to Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane stations were stuck in traffic for more than two hours owing to the accident.

Thousands of vehicles use Ghodbunder Road to reach Mumbai, Navi Mumbai or Thane daily. It is the only highway that connects to the Eastern Expressway.