Brace for traffic snarls on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Wednesday and Thursday as traffic will be diverted as a safety measure at the landslide-prone locations of the road.
There will be four blocks of 15 minutes each during these two days, leaving a possibility of either bumper-to-bumper congestion or slow moving traffic. Vehicular traffic will not be permitted between Adoshi tunnel and Amrutanjan bridge during these two days, while a private agency appointed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) removes loose stones and boulders.
What is surprising is that it has been almost a year since the rock scaling work was undertaken, but it is yet to be completed. Rock scaling is the process of removing loose surface material to prevent rockfall.
In the past as well, the authorities have diverted traffic several times to undertake the job and the deadline for completing the task hasn't been made public.
MSRDC officials shared that the rock wall at the entrance of Adoshi tunnel has cracks within, making it a landslide-prone location. The MSRDC plans to barricade a lane as a safety precaution during the monsoon months.
There were three incidents of landslide in July and August last year. In one of the incidents, a boulder fell on a passing vehicle, killing three people.
