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Shivjayanti rush: Massive traffic snarls reported on Pune-Mumbai Expressway near Khandala tunnel

Earlier this month, one of the longest traffic disruptions on the expressway occurred after a tanker carrying highly flammable propylene gas overturned at the Adoshi tunnel.

2 min readPuneFeb 19, 2026 06:03 PM IST

The holiday on account of Shivjayanti (the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) contributed to an increase in vehicle traffic on the expressway. (Representational image)

A traffic jam was reported on the Pune–Mumbai Expressway on Thursday, with long queues near the Khandala tunnel observed since the morning.

Vikrant Deshmukh, Superintendent of Highway Safety Patrol (HSP), Pune, said that the holiday on account of Shivjayanti (the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) contributed to an increase in vehicle traffic on the expressway.

“There is no severe traffic jam on the expressway, but the vehicles are moving slowly,” Deshmukh said.

Videos of the traffic jam on the expressway went viral, showing several vehicles stuck near the Khandala tunnel.

In some footage, individuals were seen exiting their cars and standing on the expressway, waiting for the traffic to clear.

Earlier this month, one of the longest traffic disruptions on the expressway occurred, lasting over 32 hours. This was caused by a tanker carrying highly flammable propylene gas that overturned on the Mumbai-bound corridor at the Adoshi tunnel in Raigad district. Traffic was diverted from earlier points to the old Pune-Mumbai highway, resulting in queues of up to 20 kilometers. Following the leak, the Pune-Mumbai expressway corridor was fully closed to vehicular traffic.

Teams from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) launched an operation to control the gas leak, and traffic on both expressway corridors was halted for safety. The operation to transfer the gas from the damaged tanker to two or three empty tankers lasted for about 32 hours.

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