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Navale bridge accident: Elevated road seen as only permanent fix to end tragedies at Narhe, Ambegaon on Bengaluru-Mumbai bypass

Union minister Murlidhar Mohol said the National Highway Authority of India will be urged to take up the construction of the Rs 6,000-crore elevated road on a priority basis.

4 min readNov 14, 2025 02:28 PM IST

Pune MP and Union minister Muralidhar Mohol with city Police Commissioner and other officials at the accident spot near Navle bridge (Express Photo)

While the authorities have implemented several short-term measures to tackle the issue of road accidents on the stretch from the new Katraj tunnel to Navale bridge on the Mumbai-Bengaluru bypass, the latest accident on Thursday, which led to the death of eight people, has underlined the need for an elevated corridor as a permanent solution to the issue.

On Thursday evening, a container truck lost control on the Navale bridge slope, reportedly due to brake failure, and hit many vehicles before crushing a car and triggering a fire that killed the car’s occupants on Thursday evening. A total of eight people, including the truck driver and cleaner, lost their lives in the accident.

‘NHAI has approved DPR for elevated road’
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, who visited the accident spot with the police as well as officials of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), said, “Frequent accidents on the stretch had made the authorities take preventive measures. Short-term solutions included controlling vehicles’ speed by installing rumblers and speed monitoring cameras, to penalising speeding vehicles, putting up signages, and closing gaps on service roads.”

“Though the accidents have reduced, the latest incident has once again brought the lack of adequate safety measures back into focus. The only permanent solution is to build a 32-km elevated road from Ambegaon to Ravet,” Mohol said, adding that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) will be urged to take up the construction of the Rs 6,000-crore elevated road on a priority basis.

“Once the elevated road is constructed, traffic will flow directly from it, and the steep slope can be avoided. The NHAI has approved the detailed project report (DPR) for the same and completed the necessary process. Only its implementation is left now,” the minister said.

Accident-prone stretch falls under various govt bodies
The stretch where the accident took place falls under various government bodies – the highway is with NHAI, a part of the service road is under the PMC, and the other part is overseen by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), while the road towards Katraj is with the Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD), said Mohol.

“The government bodies will further strengthen measures in their area to check the accidents. A joint meeting of all departments has been called to coordinate and resolve the issue,” he said.

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Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said the PMC will widen the service road alongside the bypass which passes through civic limits so that most of the local traffic is diverted through it. “We will soon take up widening of the service road,” said Ram.

The Mumbai-Bengaluru bypass from Dehu Road to Katraj was constructed to prevent traffic movement between the two big cities from passing through Pune city. Later, a tunnel and a bridge were constructed at Narhe to enable vehicles to skip the Katraj area. However, the bypass stretch at Narhe has turned into a major accident spot with many fatal accidents happening due to vehicles losing control due to the long slope from the tunnel to Vadgaon Budhruk near Narhe.

The bypass also provides connectivity to Baner, Pashan, Mulshi, Hinjewadi, and Pimpri Chinchwad, leading to rapid urbanisation, which has increased the load on the existing stretch and led to frequent traffic jams.

Baramati MP Supriya Sule, who is the executive president of the Nationalist Congress Party (SP), had also taken up the matter with the Centre. “The elevated road is necessary to resolve the traffic problems on the bypass and the area alongside it. The project will be implemented in two phases with first phase from Dehu Road to Pashan and Sus, while the second phase will be from Pashan-Sus to Narhe,” Sule said recently.

Ajay Jadhav

Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, Pune. With over 22 years of experience in the industry, he is a highly specialized journalist whose work focuses on the intersection of urban infrastructure, governance, and sustainability. Professional Background Role: As Assistant Editor, he plays a key role in the editorial direction of the Pune bureau, specializing in urban policy and its direct impact on citizens. Education: He holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a PG Diploma in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He also studied at the prestigious Fergusson College. Impactful Reporting: He is credited with research-based articles on conservancy staff (waste workers) that influenced national policy for better working conditions. He is also known for exposing the contrast between high-end infrastructure (like helipads for leaders) and the lack of basic amenities like schools in their home districts. Personal Interests: An avid trekker and sports enthusiast, his personal interest in the outdoors often informs his reporting on environmental protection and sustainable development. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) His reporting in late 2025 has been dominated by the upcoming January 2026 Civic Polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and the city's infrastructure boom: 1. Political Analysis (Civic Elections 2026) "Not friendly but a bitter fight lies ahead between BJP and NCP for PMC, PCMC" (Dec 22, 2025): A detailed look at the intense rivalry between the Mahayuti partners as they prepare for the January 15 municipal elections. "Pune civic polls: Big blow to NCP, NCP(SP) as leaders switch to BJP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on high-profile poaching and party-hopping ahead of the elections. "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): Analyzing the results of the local self-government body elections as a precursor to the main civic polls. 2. Infrastructure & Urban Development "Looking Ahead at 2026: Pune to see inauguration of much-awaited Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar metro route" (Dec 22, 2025): An "outlook" piece on the critical Metro Line 3 project expected to finish by March 2026. "Building Pune: PMC to construct double-decker bridge over Mula-Mutha River" (Dec 18, 2025): Detailing a major project aimed at easing traffic between Hadapsar and Kharadi. "Condition of highway from Pune to Kolhapur to improve in a year: Gadkari" (Dec 4, 2025): Reporting on the Union Minister’s assurances regarding one of the state's most critical transport corridors. 3. Civic Governance & Environment "Install sensors, LED indicators at construction sites within 15 days: PMC to builders" (Dec 16, 2025): A follow-up to the "Breathless Pune" series, reporting on new mandates for builders to monitor air quality in real-time. "Errors in electoral rolls: PMC corrects data of 92,466 voters" (Dec 16, 2025): Tracking the administrative efforts to clean up the voter lists before the 2026 elections. Signature Style Ajay Jadhav is known for accountability journalism. His work often bridges the gap between high-level policy and the "ground zero" reality of Pune's residents. He is particularly focused on Sustainable Development, ensuring that as Pune grows into a "Bharat Mandapam" style destination (referring to his report on the Lohegaon project), its environmental and social safeguards remain intact. X (Twitter): @ajay_khape ... Read More

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