Landslide-Hit Pune-Mumbai Expressway Reopened for Traffic

Mumbai:  The Pune-Mumbai Expressway, which was kept out of bounds till late on Sunday night after a landslide, was opened for traffic this morning. Three people were killed in the landslide on Sunday afternoon.

One of the passing cars had been completely smashed after tons of earth and rocks landed on the highway near the Adoshi tunnel, close to Lonavala, blocking a portion of the road.

Both lanes of the busy expressway had been closed immediately for traffic. Later in the evening, one lane – for traffic towards Pune – was cleared.

Sources say the iron holding on the side of the Expressway has become old and so the area has become landslide prone, especially during monsoons.

The railways ran two special trains between the two cities to take the pressure off the road.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, a nearly 100-km-long, six-lane road, was built in 2002. It usually sees high traffic over the weekend, with people travelling from Mumbai to Pune and vice-versa.

The traffic on the Expressway was hit last month too, after a landslide near the Khandala tunnel. No casualties were reported.