Mumbai-Pune Expressway traffic jam continues for over 12 hours as tanker carrying highly flammable propylene gas overturns, commuters stranded without food, water and toilet facilities

Mumbai-Pune Expressway saw a massive traffic jam for over twelve hours overnight, causing severe inconvenience to thousands of commuters. The traffic was paralysed overnight on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway after a gas tanker overturned in the Khandala Ghat section. The chaos left hundreds of vehicles stranded and caused massive congestion on both carriageways. The highway traffic police have appealed to motorists to avoid travelling on the expressway as far as possible until normal traffic movement is restored.

The traffic snarl began at around 5 pm on Tuesday and continued till as late as midnight at least, with vehicular movement in both directions coming to a complete halt for some hours, with passengers deprived of food, water, and toilet facilities.

The incident occurred near the Adoshi tunnel in Raigad district when the tanker, allegedly travelling at high speed, lost control due to the slope and overturned, reports PTI. The tanker carrying propylene gas overturned near the Adoshi Tunnel on the Mumbai-bound route. Soon after the accident, gas was found leaking from the tanker, causing panic among motorists, an official told PTI.


Due to the high risk of a gas leak and potential explosion, authorities immediately suspended all vehicular movement on the Mumbai-bound lane, resulting in a gridlock that stretched for over 25 kilometers.

Mumbai-Pune Expressway traffic diverted

After the accident on Mthe umbai-Pune Expressway, the traffic from Pune towards Mumbai was immediately stopped as a safety measure. According to the expressway control room, the Mumbai-bound traffic was diverted onto the Pune-bound carriageway for about a 2-km stretch due to the gas tanker accident.

But the normal movement could not be restored due to a continuous gas leak from the tanker, resulting in long queues and crawling traffic for over 12 hours for Pune-bound motorists, the official told PTI. The impact was severe on motorists, with several passengers stranded for hours.

The tanker was carrying propylene gas, which is highly flammable. As a precautionary measure, the police immediately closed traffic towards Mumbai to prevent any untoward incident.

Commuters express frustration

The long traffic jam for over 12 hours left commuters stranded with many flocking to social media to express their anger and frustration. As time went by, frustration mounted among the stranded commuters. Many passengers, stuck in their vehicles for over two hours, stepped out to sit or lie down on the road, as there was still no sign of the traffic easing even late into the night.

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"People have been stuck and desperately waiting for help. Please do something," wrote X user VyasKarn.

"I was stuck on this for 8 plus hours.They have finally starred clearing traffic and opened a single lane from around 12.30 to 1am. Crew and police working Hard to ensure this leak is taken Care of," wrote another user.


Many motorists voiced their frustration on social media, with some describing the expressway as a "parking lot" and advising others to avoid travel unless necessary.

"Mumbai-Pune Expressway is a literal parking lot right now. Traffic crawling for hours near Lonavala and Khandala due to a truck overturn. If you absolutely don't have to travel, don't," wrote X user pranav_72.

The Pune-bound motorists were also inconvenienced due to the traffic snarls. "Started my journey from Andheri West around 7 pm via cab. Will be reaching Pune around 3.40 am. Worst traffic experience I ever had," another X user, Sohit Manik, wrote.

Manoj Jadhav, who was travelling from Mumbai to Pune in a Shivneri bus, expressed his anger over the prolonged delay. "The accident reportedly happened around 4pm, but we are still stuck on the road at 11pm. Had there been any VIP movement, the road would have been cleared immediately. Whatever the reason may be, traffic flow should have resumed within two or three hours maximum," he told TOI.

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Emergency services rushed

Emergency services and traffic police were deployed at the scene, but clearing the overturned tanker and securing the area reportedly took longer than expected. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) vehicles were also seen arriving at the spot late at night.

The driver of a Vasai-Pune ST bus trapped near Khopoli said, "Initially, traffic was slow towards Pune but now it is at a standstill for over four hours. We are at Khopoli, so the total traffic jam must be over 25km in the direction of Pune." Bhagatsingh Shelke, a Shivneri bus commuter who started his journey from Chembur earlier in the day, said, "I was completely unaware of this traffic jam when we embarked. I saw a few online posts and tweets later while seated in the bus, where several comments mentioned that they have been stuck for over three hours on the route. That is when I realized the seriousness of the situation. Now, it is midnight and I am still stuck here. I am worried that we will have to spend the entire night stranded on the highway."

The Highway Safety Patrol (HSP) officers told TOI around midnight: "The gas in the overturned tanker is highly inflammable and heavy. No vehicle movement can be risked around the spot. We estimate that it will take till at least 4am on Wednesday to clean up the spot. Traffic will need to remain halted till then at least."