Pune: Meeting held to identify measures for curbing accidents on Navale Bridge stretch

Pune, Nov 14 (PTI) A day after a horrific accident on Navale Bridge on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway claimed eight lives in the city, the Pune Municipal Corporation on Friday held a meeting to identify immediate and long-term preventive measures.

The steep descent, lane violation, overspeeding and the high volume of heavy vehicle traffic contribute to frequent accidents on this nearly 10-km stretch between Jambhulwadi and Warje, officials said in the meeting.

Eight persons were killed and 14 others injured after a car got crushed between two large container trucks on Navale Bridge -- which is infamous for fatal accidents -- on Thursday evening.

Representatives of various agencies including the National Highways Authority of India, Regional Transport Office, city police and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) attended the meeting which was chaired by municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram.

Additional police commissioner Manoj Patil, additional municipal commissioner Om Prakash Divte, NHAI executive director Sanjay Kadam and and Regional Transport Officer Archana Gaikwad were present, among others.

"As part of short-term measures, the authorities decided to set up check-posts with multilingual signage to alert drivers, install large LED warning boards at regular intervals, create separate lanes for heavy vehicles, enforce speed limits between 40 and 60 km per hour and deploy additional speed guns. RTO teams will check overloaded trucks and take action against drivers found to be under the influence of alcohol," commissioner Ram told PTI.

It was also decided to deploy high-quality rumble stripes and cat-eye road studs on the stretch, he added.

A detailed plan to improve service roads will be prepared within seven days, Ram said, adding that the police were asked to take strict action against rickshaws, private travel vehicles and trucks that halt on both sides of service roads.

As mid-term measures, service roads on both sides of the highway will be made operational within six months after land acquisition, he said. The new bridge over the Mutha river at Warje is planned to be opened for traffic by March 2026. Also, a permanent accident response facility will be set up near Navale Bridge, the commissioner said.

In the long term, the NHAI will explore construction of another tunnel near the Bhumkar underpass and develop a 16.4-km elevated corridor between Jambhulwadi and Sutarwadi-Pashan to ease traffic flow, said Aniruddha Pawaskar, head of the road department, PMC.

The commissioner instructed all departments to adhere to deadlines and ensure on-ground improvement to prevent further loss of lives on the high-risk corridor. PTI SPK KRK