Stuck for 8 hours in Mumbai expressway gridlock, industrialist calls in chopper to reach Pune

• Gas tanker accident caused a 32-hour traffic jam on Mumbai–Pune Expressway
• Dr Sudhir Mehta suggested emergency exits and helipads for future incidents
• Commuters, including patients and seniors, faced severe hardship due to the jam

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Thousands of commuters were stranded for hours on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway after a gas tanker accident caused a massive traffic jam, stretching through the night and much of the next day for almost 32 hours. Among those stuck was industrialist Dr Sudhir Mehta, who eventually returned to Pune by helicopter after waiting on the highway for nearly eight hours.

Lacs 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 Rs 10 lacs to make and… pic.twitter.com/u2EooiKjh3

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— Dr. Sudhir Mehta (@sudhirmehtapune) February 4, 2026

Taking to X, Dr Mehta highlighted the scale of the disruption and the lack of emergency planning on one of Maharashtra’s busiest roads. “Lacs of people are stuck on the #Mumbai #Pune expressway for the last 18 hours for ‘one gas tanker’,” he wrote.

He suggested that authorities should plan emergency exits at multiple points on the expressway to allow vehicles to turn back during such situations.

Dr Mehta also proposed the use of helipads for emergency evacuation. “Helipads cost less than Rs 10 lacs 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,” he said.

Thanking officials for assistance, he added, “@nitinwelde thanks for your help to get back to Pune today after being stuck for 8 hours.”

Describing the situation on the ground, Dr Mehta said traffic rules had completely broken down. “This is the state of the #Mumbai #Pune highway. Complete free for all including wrong side driving. The lifeline of connectivity for the region is deteriorating by the day,” he wrote.

He further added, “Travelling on the same is playing roulette on one’s life plus 7 hours to reach.”

The accident took place around 4.45 pm on Tuesday, about 50 metres ahead of a tunnel in the Borghat stretch of the Khandala ghat section in Raigad district. A tanker carrying highly flammable propylene overturned on the Mumbai-bound carriageway, leading to gas leakage and serious safety concerns.

Stranded travellers included children, senior citizens and patients heading to Mumbai for treatment. Among those trapped was 57-year-old Sunita Patil. “My brother rode a two-wheeler, despite two-wheelers being barred on the expressway, from Kharghar in Navi Mumbai to the accident site around 1am on Wednesday to extricate her as she was stuck in traffic without food for over seven hours,” the woman’s son was quoted by TOI as saying.

“She is a senior citizen and there was no food or water available on the expressway, so we could not leave her there alone. We were informed that the issue was likely to continue until morning," he said.

A similar issue was faced by a commuter from Latur travelling with a cancer patient. "I was taking my friend to Mumbai for treatment and we had an appointment with the doctor at 8am, but we could not reach the hospital due to the road closure," he said.

Highway police said it was only around 10.30 pm that the gas was safely transferred from the damaged tanker to another vehicle. After the tanker was removed using a crane, the Mumbai-bound carriageway was reopened after 1 am on Thursday.

However, traffic movement remained slow, and the disruption lasted for nearly 32 hours, causing immense hardship to commuters of all ages.