Deadlock on Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway: Ambulances stuck in 15-km-long traffic jam; potholes due to incessant rain a reason, say police

Vadodara district Superintendent of Police Rohan Anand told The Indian Express that the jam was also caused by “a few bottleneck points in Por and Jambuva, where the six-lane highway converges into four-lane bridges.”

Traffic was seen crawling from Golden Chokdi to Por, expanding the distance, which would usually take 10-12 minutes, to 3 to 4 hours.

Policemen deployed on duty at two bottleneck points in Jambuva and Por told The Indian Express that since 4am on Thursday, as many as three ambulances were found stranded in the jam with “no way to ensure a passage”.

Serpentine queues of heavy vehicles as well as private cars were seen on the flyovers leading to the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway.

Anand said, “Incessant rain has been received by the district in the last seven days. It has damaged the roads and led to potholes at several places.”

Vadodara Lok Sabha MP Hemang Joshi Thursday held discussions with the district administration, the city and district police’s traffic teams, and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to find a solution. Joshi said, “For the last five days, there has been a big issue related to traffic on the (Ahmedabad-Mumbai) highway. The bridge connecting Por to Jambuva has been damaged to the road surface due to abrasion and rain. Many travellers have been calling and complaining about the issue. We are in touch with the NHAI to understand how the problem can be resolved. If there is a pause in the rain for about two to three days, a hot mix plant can start to undertake the repair work… For now, we have discussed possible ways for the police to regulate the traffic.”

A police officer on duty at Jambuva said, “Although the traffic has been moving at a slow pace since over a week due to damaged roads, for the last three days, there have been jams, particularly when heavy vehicles move as they are unable to press ahead quickly. Today (Thursday), the jam extends to about 15 km and despite coordination with the other teams, having the road cleared is a challenge due to the weather and potholes. It is a usual situation in the monsoon every year.”

The bottleneck points are located close to the approach to the National Expressway-1. At the time of going to the press, the traffic had eased out to some extent, but not enough to aid steady movement of vehicles.