Navale bridge accident highlights traffic management, infrastructure woes on Katraj Dehu Road bypass

The 36-kilometre bypass road that facilitates passage of Mumbai-Bengaluru national highway traffic from the periphery of Pune city, is marred by multiple issues related to traffic management, enforcement and infrastructure, according to people in the know of the matter.

For traffic management, the bypass falls under two jurisdictions – Pune City and Pimpri Chinchwad police. While the construction of the main road is under the purview of various agencies including National Highway Authority of India and Central Public Works Department, the construction of connecting roads is under municipal corporations of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.

A senior police officer said there are several infrastructural issues with the highway bypass. At a few points, heavy vehicles move over a patch with downward slope and thus, cannot control the speed. “We also see that in order to save on fuel, drivers of the heavy vehicles switch off the ignition on downward slopes and are unable to control the vehicles with brakes properly,” the officer added.

The officer further said that there are multiple road exit and entry points on the bypass from where the vehicles join connecting roads or leave the highway. This causes traffic jams on a regular basis and in many cases, vehicles end up hitting other vehicles, which often results in pile-ups. In recent past, rumble strips have been installed at various locations to slightly curtail the speed of the vehicles as speed breakers cannot be installed on the highway.

Independent researcher Tanmay Pendse, who lost his brother and Marathi actor Akshay Pendse and a nephew in an accident in 2012, said, “One of the main issues faced by the bypass road is convergence of two different traffic flows. One kind of traffic is from the city, which mainly comprises bikes, rickshaws and light motor vehicles and the other is from the highway, dominated by heavy vehicles. In such cases, even minor infrastructural flaws or small driver errors can lead to serious accidents.”
Pendse, who has been researching the subject for over a decade, said, “The situation once again calls for focus on the four ‘E’ of traffic safety: Education – which means awareness among the drivers, Engineering – that ranges from the right kind of reflectors to measures against major structural defects, Enforcement – by police, and Emergency response – which deals with how quickly medical aid can be given to victims.”