Heavy vehicles to be restricted on Expressway on weekends

Heavy and overloaded vehicles will not be allowed to ply on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway during certain hours on the weekends, Monday, and on public holidays to keep it from getting congested, Highway Safety Patrol (HSP) and Expressway authorities decided on Saturday.

“Heavy vehicles going from Mumbai to Pune will not be allowed to ply on the road from Khalapur toll plaza from 5 pm to 10 pm on Friday and from 7 am to noon on Saturday. Vehicles from Pune will not be allowed at Urse and Khusgoan from 7 am to 10 am on Monday,” Amol Tambe, police superintendent, HSP, said. He also said the timetable for public holidays would be announced in a couple of days.

It has been observed that heavy trucks with over-dimension cargo and overloaded vehicles cause traffic jams regularly as they either meet with accidents or experience breakdowns especially at the ghat section near Khandala. Last weekend, traffic was completely stopped for seven long hours due to overloaded vehicles breaking down.