Pune/Mumbai: One of the longest traffic gridlocks in the history of the 94.5 kilometres-long Mumbai–Pune Expressway stretched into its second day on Wednesday, leaving thousands of commuters stranded for nearly 27 hours without access to toilets, drinking water or food after a gas tanker overturned near the Adoshi tunnel on Tuesday evening about 90 kilometres from Mumbai. The overturned gas tanker was finally emptied and moved off the road late on Wednesday night.
Traffic flow gradually started on the Mumbai-bound carriageway around midnight. Traffic began to pile up around 5:15 pm on Tuesday after a tanker that was going from Kochi to Surat, carrying highly flammable propylene gas, overturned on the Mumbai-bound lane near village Adoshi in the Borghat section of the expressway. The accident triggered a major gas leak, forcing authorities to shut down the entire Mumbai-bound carriageway as precaution.
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The scale of the disruption prompted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to order an inquiry into the incident. He directed Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) officials to submit a report along with recommendations to deal with such emergencies in future.
“There was 21 tonne of propylene gas which was refilled in another tanker. Once the assurance of safety is given by the gas company teams for the overturned tanker, it will be moved from the site. And it will still take some time to normalise the traffic movement on the E-way,” said Highway Police Superintendent Tanaji Chikhale.
Emergency response teams, including the NDRF, fire brigade and a specialised chemical response team from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), were rushed to the spot. However, officials said containment was delayed due to extremely high gas pressure inside the tanker and damage to its valves.
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The incident paralysed the expressway—used, on an average, by one lakh vehicles daily– to connect Mumbai and Pune. Traffic towards Pune was backed up till Khalapur toll plaza, while the Mumbai-bound side witnessed queues stretching 10 to 12 km, with hundreds of vehicles stuck for hours without any movement.
For commuters, the delay turned into a prolonged ordeal.
Near Khalapur toll naka, Pune resident Rohit More remained stuck overnight with his two children, aged one and three. “There are no toilets, no place to even step out safely. Managing infants inside a parked car for hours is exhausting,” he said. “Milk ran out, diapers became an issue, and the children cried through the night. This was not something anyone could have prepared for.”
Several motorists said they rationed water, skipped meals and sat inside vehicles for hours, while elderly passengers complained of dehydration, body pain and anxiety.
Elderly passengers were among the worst affected. Vilas and Shalini Minjare, travelling from Nashik to Mumbai for a medical appointment, were eventually diverted via Tamhini Ghat. “At our age, sitting continuously without toilets is extremely uncomfortable,” Shalini said. “We understand safety concerns, but there should be emergency arrangements for people.”
Pune-based entrepreneur Sudhir Mehta, who was among those affected, dialled a friend and took a helicopter ride to continue his journey. He posted aerial photos of the jam on X and said he took the extreme step after being stuck for eight hours on the expressway. “Lakhs of people are stuck on the #Mumbai #Pune expressway for the last 18 hours for ‘one gas tanker’. For such emergencies we need to plan exits at different points on expressway which can be opened to allow vehicles to return. Helipads cost less than ₹10 lakhs to make, and require less than one acre of open area. These need to be mandatory at various points near the expressway for emergency evacuation,” Mehta said in his post while thanking the pilot Nitin Welde who ferried him to Pune.
Welde also took to social media and offered to deploy a chopper for anyone in urgent need — including emergency medical travel — during the disruption, saying he was ready to help those with critical requirements get to their destinations without further delay.
According to the FIR filed by Khopoli police, the accident occurred at around 5.06 pm on Tuesday when the tanker (NL01 AG 4250), transporting propylene gas from Cochin to Surat, lost control and overturned. Police Constable Swapnil Deepak Lad, who reached the spot after receiving an alert through Dial 112, found the tanker lying sideways with the driver and another person having exited the vehicle.
The driver, Ratan Singh Uday Narayan Singh (44), a resident of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, sustained injuries to his right palm and other parts of his body and was admitted to MGM Hospital, Kamothe. His co-worker, Monu Singh, was also present at the site. Police said the accident occurred due to negligent driving at a dangerous speed without considering road conditions.
According to Chikhale, the tanker was carrying gas under very high pressure. The valve had cracked in multiple places, which made containment extremely challenging,” said Tanaji Chikhale, additional superintendent of police, highway traffic police. He said internal pressure gradually reduced from 8 psig to 2 psig over nearly 21 hours, allowing containment work to progress.
To prevent ignition, fire brigade vehicles continuously sprayed water to keep temperatures low, while a 500-metre ‘no man’s land’ was created around the accident site. Additional tankers were arranged to transfer the remaining gas.
Commuters were advised to avoid the affected stretch and take alternate routes via Tamhini Ghat, Karjat, Malshej Ghat and Aale Phata, though motorists said secondary routes were also choked and lacked basic facilities.
As operations continued late into Wednesday, the incident once again exposed serious gaps in disaster management on one of Maharashtra’s most critical highways. For those trapped overnight, the experience was not merely about traffic—it was about being left without the most basic necessities on a road that was once the pride of the state.