Mumbra bypass shut, Thane faces heavy traffic congestion

The entry points into the city, Anand Naka and Teenhath Naka were gridlocked for hours, leading to minor scuffles between toll workers and commuters. The traffic jams were eventually resolved by afternoon, police sources said.

mumbra bypass shut, thane faces heavy trfafic, mumbai city traffic, indian express, maharashtra news

Traffic congestion in Thane.

Less than 24 hours after the Mumbra bypass was closed for repairs and despite the traffic police placing several checks, Thane residents faced severe traffic congestion on Tuesday. The entry points into the city, Anand Naka and Teenhath Naka were gridlocked for hours, leading to minor scuffles between toll workers and commuters. The traffic jams were eventually resolved by afternoon, police sources said.

The repair work on Mumbra bypass road started on Monday night. However, heavy vehicles were diverted to Thane, instead of being stopped. “We had placed our blockades, but the trucks were enroute and thus entered the city even during the non-stipulated hours. Because of all the vehicles taking internal roads, there was some congestion,” said a senior traffic police official from Thane.

However, commuters, several of whom were unaware that the repair work on the Mumbra bypass had begun, had to face jams on almost all busy intersections across the city. “It takes me 45 minutes in the worst traffic to reach my office in Teenhath Naka from Majiwada. Today, I travelled for close to one and a half hour,” said Sheetal Naik, a Thane resident. Another commuter, Bikram Das said, “The heavy vehicles make even the flyovers unusable. They are slow and bulky. Getting stuck behind them while going to work is the worst.”

Thane traffic police, however, believe that the starting jitters would eventually wane off. “We have re-alerted the neighboring police and will only let heavy vehicles into the city between midnight and 4 am. The traffic will be much smoother from now on,” said a senior officer.

The dilapidated Mumbra bypass road is going to be shut for around two months from May 7, sources said. Till then, all the heavy vehicles going towards JNPT, will have to take the longer route from inside the Thane city.

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