Pune: Traffic Chaos On Mumbai-Bangalore National Highway Due To Potholes At Vadgaon Bridge Area
Katraj, 24th July 2023: The Mumbai-Bangalore National Highway witnessed a major traffic disruption at the Mutha River Bridge area in Vadgaon due to large and hazardous potholes. The narrow road coupled with a high number of heavy vehicles resulted in slow-moving traffic, causing severe inconvenience to commuters.
The traffic jam extended up to the new Katraj tunnel, covering a distance of 12 to 14 km. Heavy vehicles, in particular, were adversely affected, taking five to six hours to traverse this stretch, causing considerable mental distress to drivers.
The traffic snarl also impacted the internal traffic flow in Vadgaon, Dhayari, Narhe, Ambegaon, Katraj, and Bharti Vidyapeeth area, leading to a widespread gridlock.
The ongoing roadwork in the region, spanning two days with a weekend holiday, exacerbated the situation as more vehicles congested the roads.
In a bid to avoid anticipated traffic, some motorists diverted through the old Katraj tunnel, only to encounter another massive traffic jam under Navle bridge, leading to long queues on the Katraj-Navle bridge road.
Efforts were made to repair the potholes on the Vadgaon bridge over the past two days. However, the heavy traffic and continuous rain made it impossible for the administration to fill the potholes. Consequently, the National Highway Authority administration decided to clear the road by removing the entire tarmac from the bridge.
Bharat Todkari, Consulting Engineer, NHAI, said that keeping in mind that the traffic was slowing down due to the pothole on the road, the traffic was blocked from one side and the road was being cleared, so this traffic jam had occurred. Now the traffic on both the roads has been started and the traffic will be smooth.
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