Four-Day Traffic Gridlock on Mumbai–Ahmedabad Highway Leaves Commuters Stranded Overnight

Vasai: The Mumbai–Ahmedabad National Highway has turned into a nightmare for commuters and transporters alike, with massive traffic jams persisting for the past four days. Thousands of passengers, truck drivers, and emergency vehicles are being forced to spend hours stuck in congestion, particularly during the night, exposing deep-rooted infrastructural and planning failures.

Despite an expenditure of nearly ₹621 crore, the condition of the highway has failed to improve. Negligence during white-topping work has resulted in potholes and damaged stretches, triggering frequent traffic snarls and accidents. While daytime traffic sees marginal relief due to police deployment, the situation deteriorates sharply after sunset, when queues stretch between 12 and 20 kilometers.

The problem has intensified due to the Christmas and New Year holiday rush, with a surge of travelers leaving Mumbai and its suburbs, while a large number of vehicles from Gujarat head toward the city. This sharp increase in vehicular volume has overwhelmed the already fragile highway infrastructure.

According to officials, ongoing concreting work on the old bridge over the Versova Creek is a major bottleneck, causing congestion on both sides of the highway. Two years ago, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) approved white-topping from the Gujarat border to Kashimira. However, poor-quality execution and lack of supervision led to rapid deterioration of the road surface, worsening traffic conditions and increasing accident risks. Emergency services, including ambulances, have also been severely affected, with reports of critical delays.

Former Mira-Bhayandar–Vasai–Virar Police Commissioner Madhukar Pandey had introduced a zonal traffic management plan to ease congestion. While this provided limited daytime relief, the absence of effective night-time enforcement rendered the effort ineffective. Despite clear instructions to halt highway work during the holiday season, NHAI went ahead with bridge concreting, resulting in unplanned diversions and chaos. A lack of coordinated traffic planning has left motorists stranded night after night.

Adding to commuters’ frustration is the near absence of traffic wardens after dark. NHAI official Suhas Chitnis stated that 20 to 25 wardens have been deployed for traffic control, but ground reports suggest they are rarely visible at night. Traffic Department DCP Ashok Veerkar confirmed that around 50 traffic police personnel have been stationed and that heavy vehicles are being halted near the Khanivade toll plaza to reduce congestion.

As anger and fatigue mount among stranded commuters—some missing flights and trains—the ongoing crisis has once again highlighted the urgent need for accountable execution, better coordination, and long-term infrastructure planning on one of western India’s most critical highways.