More hour-long traffic blocks on Mumbai-Pune Expressway from Tuesday

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is set to implement further hour-long roadblocks on the busy Mumbai-Pune Expressway this month commencing from Tuesday, a move which is likely to affect movement of vehicles.

In a press release issued on Monday, MSRDC said these traffic blocks were necessitated by the ongoing installation of gantries at various points along the 95-km-long expressway as part of the Highway Management System.

These roadblocks will be enforced between 12 noon to 1 pm on a daily basis from October 17 to 19 and on October 26 at various locations along the highway, the release said.

These blocks will affect both Pune and Mumbai-bound lanes at key locations such as Lonavala, Khandala Tunnel, Dasturi Police post, Dheku village and Khandala Exit on the specified days, it said.

On October 17 (Tuesday), the block will be in effect at Khandala Tunnel and Lonavala for the Pune-bound corridor, while on the subsequent days, the blocks will mainly impact the Mumbai-bound corridors, said the release.

Earlier this month, the state-run corporation had enforced one or two-hour roadblocks for similar reasons. The release noted that traffic on both the Pune and Mumbai-bound lanes will resume at 1 pm upon the conclusion of each roadblock.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway holds the distinction of being India's first access-controlled highway.

The 6-lane expressway was fully operationalised in 2002 with toll collection at five plazas, of which Khalapur and Talegaon serve as primary locations.