Overview
- Traffic slowed to a crawl from Thursday morning, with the worst jams reported near Lonavala and through the Khandala ghat section.
- Commuters reported waits of over an hour and, in places, queues stretching for several kilometres as vehicles moved bumper-to-bumper.
- Videos widely shared on X, including posts by user Rushikesh Angre, showed stalled lanes and urged people to avoid nonessential trips.
- Motorists blamed lane discipline issues such as trucks and buses occupying multiple lanes, while narrow ghat stretches magnified minor stoppages.
- Highway police deployed personnel around key choke points and advised drivers to follow real-time updates and use alternative routes where possible, with heavy volumes expected to persist through the weekend.