Pune/Lonavala, 28th December 2025: Commuters returning to Pune and Mumbai after enjoying Christmas and the last weekend of the year were stranded in massive traffic jams on Sunday, causing hours-long delays.
Long queues of vehicles were reported on the MumbaiтАУBengaluru National Highway, particularly at Satara, Khambatki Ghat, Katraj Ghat, Navale Bridge, Chandni Chowk and the Pune bypass road, leaving travellers frustrated.
With Christmas on Thursday (December 25) followed by a weekend, tourists from Pune and Mumbai had travelled in large numbers to hill stations and holiday destinations such as Panchgani, Wai, Kolhapur, Konkan and Goa to enjoy the winter weather. As a result, heavy traffic congestion was witnessed earlier on the MumbaiтАУPune Expressway and the MumbaiтАУBengaluru Highway. The situation worsened on Sunday as thousands of vehicles began returning after the four-day break.
After exiting the Katraj tunnel, traffic slowed significantly near Dukkar Khind, the Swaminarayan Temple stretch and the adjoining bypass highway. From around 6 pm onwards, vehicles were moving at a crawl, with queues stretching up to 1.5 to 2 kilometres. The continuous movement of heavy vehicles on this route further aggravated the congestion, leaving cars and passenger buses stuck for long periods.
Several commuters expressed anger over the situation, alleging that despite paying tolls and taxes, travellers were being inconvenienced. Unlike routine congestion, which usually affects both directions, Sunday saw severe traffic jams primarily on the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the MumbaiтАУBengaluru Highway.
Highway traffic police attempted to ease congestion by diverting heavy vehicles into separate lanes, but the efforts yielded limited results. Despite the deployment of traffic and highway police personnel at key choke points, congestion persisted, and police teams were seen struggling to manage the situation.
Year-End Brings Additional Police Deployment
With December 31 approaching, when citizens typically travel to tourist and religious destinations to welcome the New Year, authorities have announced additional police deployment on highways. To curb drunk driving and prevent accidents, highway traffic police have been instructed to conduct checks using breath analysers. Monitoring through CCTV cameras installed at various locations will also be intensified, officials said.
Due to the large volume of return traffic after the weekend, traffic police teams have been deployed at major junctions and busy stretches along the MumbaiтАУBengaluru Highway. Vehicles entering from service roads near city limits and merging with regular highway traffic have further added to congestion.
тАЬGiven the heavy return traffic on Sunday, traffic police teams have been stationed at key junctions and congestion-prone points on the highway. Vehicles are being gradually moved forward to restore smoother flow,тАЭ said Vikrant Deshmukh, Superintendent of Highway Police.
Authorities have urged motorists to plan travel timings carefully during the year-end period and cooperate with traffic personnel to avoid further inconvenience.
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