Pune Mumbai Expressway to remain shut for heavy vehicles towards Mumbai 

Due to the Maratha reservation morcha that is scheduled to take place on Thursday from Lonavala to Navi Mumbai, heavy vehicles traveling from Kolhapur, Pune, and Ahmednagar to Mumbai will not be permitted to use the Pune-Mumbai Expressway.

A senior Highway State Police official said that while the morcha will use the old Pune-Mumbai highway instead of the expressway, there is a six-km stretch in the Khandala ghat section. Both the expressway and the old highway use this as a common route for traffic. In order to prevent traffic congestion and its knock-on effects, heavy vehicles are being restricted on the Pune to Mumbai expressway corridor.

The official went on to say that as the morcha moves past the Khandala ghat section, heavy vehicles from Kolhapur, Pune, and Ahmednagar will be stopped at various locations prior to the expressway and will be permitted to continue in phases. Heavy vehicles traveling to Pune, Kolhapur, and Ahmednagar can still use the Mumbai-to-Pune expressway corridor.

Light motor vehicle traffic on the expressway will not be restricted in any direction. The morcha traveled through Pimpri Chinchwad and Pune on Wednesday before arriving overnight in Lonavala.

Vehicles entering the Pune-Mumbai highway from the Khandala exit will not be allowed, according to a second Highway State Police official. They’ll block off the exit and erect barricades.