Mumbai-Pune Expressway traffic resumes after 33 hours; overturned gas tanker removed
Traffic on the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai–Pune Expressway was restored early on Thursday, nearly 33 hours after a gas tanker overturned, officials said.
The accident occurred around 5 pm on Tuesday near the Adoshi tunnel, when a tanker carrying highly flammable propylene gas overturned on the Mumbai-bound lane.
As a precautionary measure, authorities completely shut the carriageway, triggering massive traffic congestion on one of the country’s busiest highways.
According to an official from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), traffic resumed at 1.46 am on Thursday after the damaged tanker was safely removed from the site. Before removal, the propylene gas was transferred to other tankers late Wednesday night, and the accident-hit vehicle was cleared using heavy-duty cranes.
“The Mumbai-bound carriageway was reopened at 1.46 am after the tanker was shifted from the accident site,” the MSRDC official said.
The prolonged closure led to severe traffic snarls, with queues of stranded vehicles stretching up to 20 km at the peak of congestion.
Thousands of commuters, including women and children, were stuck for several hours without access to food, water, or toilet facilities, causing widespread public distress and outrage.
Vehicular movement in the ghat section gradually normalised after clearance operations were completed, though congestion persisted for some time as several heavy vehicles remained stuck on the stretch.
Police officials said traffic conditions improved substantially within a few hours of reopening.
However, movement slowed briefly again on Thursday morning after a few heavy vehicles broke down near the Amrutanjan Bridge around 7.30 am.
The tanker accident had forced authorities to divert and regulate traffic in blocks through the Pune-bound carriageway.
In response to the massive disruption, the MSRDC temporarily suspended toll collection on the expressway.
Multiple agencies, including teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), highway police, and MSRDC, were deployed to manage the hazardous situation and ensure the safe transfer of gas and removal of the tanker.
The incident also severely impacted public transport, with several Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses stranded on the expressway and many scheduled services cancelled. In addition, the prolonged traffic jam disrupted the supply of essential commodities such as milk and vegetables, as goods vehicles remained stuck for hours.
Industrialist takes helicopter after being stuck for 8 hours
Pune-based industrialist Sudhir Mehta took a helicopter to return to the city after being stranded for eight hours on the Expressway.
Sudhir Mehta, Chairman of Pinnacle Industries and EKA Mobility, in a post on X, said he took a helicopter to get back to Pune on Wednesday after being stuck for eight hours.
He also posted some aerial shots of the massive traffic jam on the expressway.
Reacting to the prolonged traffic disruption, he said such incidents highlight the need for better emergency preparedness on high-speed corridors like the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
"Lacs of people are stuck on the #Mumbai #Pune expressway for the last 18 hours for "one gas tanker".
For such emergencies, there should be planned exit points at different locations on the expressway which can be opened to allow vehicles to return," Mehta said in his post on Wednesday.