Tanker Crash | Mumbai-Pune Expressway traffic chaos continues, tolls halted

Toll collection on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway has been suspended, and the entry of vehicles has been restricted from both ends of the expressway after a gas tanker overturned in the Khandala ghat section, triggering a massive traffic disruption that lasted over 12 hours.

The incident occurred near the Adoshi tunnel in Raigad district on the Mumbai-bound carriageway when a tanker carrying propylene gas overturned at 5 pm yesterday (February 3) while negotiating the slope. Following the accident, gas was found leaking from the tanker, prompting authorities to immediately halt vehicular movement due to the risk of fire or explosion, officials told PTI.

As a precautionary measure, traffic towards Mumbai was completely stopped. Movement from Pune was also severely impacted, resulting in long queues and near-standstill conditions for hours. According to the expressway control room, Mumbai-bound traffic was temporarily diverted onto the Pune-bound carriageway for a short stretch, but normal flow could not be restored due to the continuous gas leak.

The traffic snarl began continued late into the night, with vehicular movement coming to a complete halt for several hours. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both carriageways, leaving commuters without access to food, water, or toilet facilities. Officials said the congestion stretched over 25 km at its peak.

The highway traffic police appealed to motorists to avoid using the expressway until normal traffic movement was restored. Emergency services and traffic police were deployed at the spot soon after the accident, while National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were also pressed into service later in the night to help secure the area.

Highway safety patrol officials said around midnight that no vehicle movement could be allowed near the overturned tanker as the gas was highly inflammable and heavy.

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The prolonged closure caused severe inconvenience to commuters travelling between Mumbai and Pune, with intercity buses, private vehicles, and commercial traffic bearing the brunt of the extended disruption on one of Maharashtra’s busiest road corridors.