Accident
Rs 7 crore has been sanctioned for the project, with work expected to begin within 10 days and be completed in four to five months, according to NHAI officials. The authority has set a target of March 2027 for completion. NHAI accident analysis found that nearly 90% of crashes on the stretch were linked to speeding and loss of control. The officials said 86% of the analysed accidents occurred on the Pune-bound carriageway. The officials said several safety interventions had already been implemented, including 14 CCTV cameras, three speed cameras, a reduced speed limit of 40kmph, median barriers, rumble strips, lane markings, reflective cat-eyes, street lighting, blinkers and warning signboards.
“The escape ramps are designed to provide a safe diversion for vehicles, particularly heavy trucks that lose control due to brake failure while descending the corridor,” a senior NHAI official said. “Three additional variable message sign gantries have also been installed, while police enforcement has been strengthened through speed guns, challans and a checkpoint in Jambhulwadi,” another NHAI official said. The official said service-road works were also under way near Narhe crematorium, Mutha river, Wadgaon-Sinhagad Road and HEMRL/Defence land to improve local traffic movement and reduce conflicts with the highway. Balchandra Birajdar, a visiting faculty member at CoEP Technological University, said authorities must move beyond trial and error and obtain recommendations from multiple independent agencies. People must be held accountable,” he said.
Pune: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has finally appointed a contractor to build two escape ramps on the accident-prone 7km Katraj tunnel-Navale Bridge stretch of Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway. An NHAI presentation submitted to the district road safety committee identified four major blackspots on the corridor — New Katraj Tunnel, Dari Pul, Navale Bridge and Bhumkar Bridge. Road safety experts have urged a more comprehensive and accountable approach. “We also need to fix responsibility and make agencies pay if their suggestions don’t work. Spending crores of rupees on ineffective measures must stop.
The move comes as another accident on Saturday left a truck cleaner dead and six others injured in a five-truck pile-up on Bhumkar Bridge.
“The descent is about 5%, which may comply with the older IRC:73 limiting value but not with current multi-lane standards, where the ruling gradient is 2.5% and the limiting gradient is 3.3%. Road safety auditor and MIT-World Peace University faculty member Sagar Kolapkar welcomed the decision to build escape ramps, saying, “They should have been introduced much earlier. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Pune | Silver Rate in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune | Petrol Price in Pune | Diesel Price in Pune | CNG Price in Pune | LPG Price in Pune Stay updated with the latest Pune news.
Parisar programme director Ranjit Gadgil said road safety committee meetings repeatedly flagged the stretch but produced no meaningful improvements. “But authorities say these cannot be implemented on a highway because they would cause congestion,” he said, pointing to continued helmetless riding by two-wheeler users on the stretch. Gadgil said, “Urgent short-term steps are needed to prevent further deaths, including better coordination among implementing agencies, uniform and sustained enforcement, and strict penalties for violations While NHAI has long-term plans for a 10km elevated highway. We also need to verify whether the measures tested on this stretch have been implemented,” he said.
He also called for stronger traffic-calming measures. Heavy vehicles often descend the slope in neutral, reducing braking effectiveness and increasing crash risk. Investigators should examine brake condition at the time of each accident and assess heat buildup in brake linings and drums after prolonged travel on this stretch, as overheating lowers braking efficiency. ” Kolapkar questioned whether the corridor’s sustained gradient met current highway design standards, arguing that the long descent needed a fresh assessment. Download the TOI App.