Pune: The long weekend following Independence Day approaches and travellers planning to leave the city are bracing for heavy traffic load on highways from Wednesday onwards. To avoid the anticipated rush, some are opting to start their journey early in the morning, while others are relying on traffic apps before hitting the road; a few have decided to just stay home. Superintendent of police (Highway Safety Patrol) Vikrant Deshmukh told TOI that personnel will be deployed on both the old highway and expressway to ensure smooth traffic flow .
“Our primary concern during weekends is to regulate traffic in Lonavla city and on the highway,” he noted. The SP added that temporary blocks will be implemented on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway if needed. To manage heavy traffic in Lonavla, authorities will strictly enforce a ban on heavy vehicles entering the city.
“Across other highways leading out of Pune, we will have a strong presence at every predictable bottleneck, focusing on preventing drunk driving, speeding, and parking violations,” Deshmukh said. Commuters are making their own plans. IT professional Nitin Dharap said, “Our team outing in Karjat was shifted to Lonavla, to avoid traffic in the eway ghat section this long weekend.
” Businessman Vijay Pandey shared, “Our school get-together is in Goa from Aug 15-17. We will travel by train to avoid highway traffic. In the rainy season, traffic jams are common, especially in ghat areas.
There is also a fear of landslides.