During the festive season, combined with an extended weekend, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway faced its usual challenges of traffic congestion on Saturday.

As the holiday season peaked, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, which links major cities and acts as a gateway to popular destinations like Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani, witnessed a surge in traffic congestion. Travelers expressed frustration over prolonged travel times and frequent traffic jams, raising concerns about the expressway's effectiveness.

The long Holi weekend, commencing on Saturday, saw significant traffic flow on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, with an additional one-and-a-half hours added to the usual four-hour journey between the cities. Heavy traffic is anticipated to persist on Sunday and Monday as individuals return to Mumbai from Pune and nearby travel spots.

Similar situations were observed in December during a previous long weekend, resulting in multiple vehicle breakdowns.

Meanwhile, the heavy vehicle ban in Pune came into effect from March 23.

With the escalating number of vehicles in Pune and stagnant road infrastructure, traffic congestion has emerged as a major concern. The situation is exacerbated by ongoing large-scale projects that occupy road space. To address these issues and prioritize public safety and convenience, Rohidas Pawar, Deputy Commissioner of Police Traffic Branch, Pune City, has implemented new traffic regulations.

He announced a prohibition on the entry of heavy goods vehicles on 11 significant roads in the city during peak hours. This action follows a blanket ban on very heavy vehicles such as trailers, containers, and articulated vehicles at 12 key entry points to the city, aimed at alleviating massive traffic jams experienced on arterial roads and key junctions.

An order issued on Wednesday by Rohidas Pawar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (traffic), stipulates that heavy goods vehicles, except those involved in public transport and essential services, will be banned on 11 roads between 9 am to 12 noon and from 4 pm to 9 pm.