The vehicles trying to avoid craters on the road have led to two-km-long jam.
Highlights
- Mumbai-bound traffic from Pune accumulating on Sion-Panvel Highway
- Traffic being diverted to other routes in the city
- Milind Deora tweeted picture of potholed road, blamed Shiv Sena
The pothole-ridden Sion-Panvel Highway yet again threw the traffic into clutch, brake and accelerator routine. The vehicles trying to avoid craters on the road led to two-km-long jam this morning. It's taking hours to cross the stretch, a commuter told NDTV.
Mumbai-bound traffic from Pune started accumulating on the highway and it continues to be slow moving. The state PWD (public works department) workers say they are unable to fill the potholes as the highway is chock-a-block with vehicles.
As container trucks, sedans and two-wheelers jostled for space, barricades, debris, construction material lying on the side of the road added to their woes. The traffic which is being diverted to other routes in the city caused similar snarls in Kharghar and Panvel.
Driving on the Sion-Panvel highway has been a nightmare for the last few days. Visuals of congestion were widely shared on social media.
Mumbaikars missed their appointments or crawled to work as potholes put the city in slow lane.
A cabinet minister got stuck here for at least 30 minutes on Sunday. "It's a highway and one doesn't expect to get stuck here for hours," said a motorist.
A man lost his life due to potholes on this highway. A few days ago, members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) attacked a government office in adjoining Navi Mumbai to express their anguish over potholes dotting the 39-km stretch between Sion and Panvel.
Accidents on pothole-ridden roads have claimed five lives in Thane region in the last few weeks.