The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is nearing the final stages of implementing the Highway Traffic Management System (HTMS) on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway to streamline traffic and enhance safety. This initiative includes deploying systems for speed detection and lane discipline violation, enabling enforcement of speed limits and penalties for offenders.

"By the end of this month, we will have installed 430 advanced CCTV cameras as part of the HTMS," stated a senior MSRDC official. "These cameras will facilitate spot and average speed detection, lane discipline monitoring, weigh-in-motion systems for commercial vehicles, and automatic vehicle counting and classification at toll booths. This comprehensive system will enable swift action against reckless driving, which often leads to traffic disruptions and accidents."

The official further mentioned that installation of cameras is complete, with on-going testing expected to conclude by the end of June. Once testing is finalised, the system will become operational, significantly bolstering safety measures on the expressway.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, known for its winding stretches through picturesque landscapes including ghats and waterfalls, often sees vehicles stopping haphazardly on roadsides for scenic views, leading to accidents. To address this issue, MSRDC has proposed designated stopping facilities at intervals along the expressway. Special halts are planned in the ghats specifically for heavy vehicles, aiming to reduce incidents where they currently stop abruptly after ascending the ghats, causing collisions with trailing vehicles.

Additionally, MSRDC is set to operationalise the Missing Link project on the expressway by May 2025, aimed at bridging critical gaps in the road network between Mumbai and Pune to ensure seamless connectivity.

The section of the expressway from Adoshi Tunnel to Khandala exit, currently a six-lane road accommodates traffic equivalent to ten lanes (six from YCEW and four from NH-4). It faces congestion due to heavy traffic and occasional landslides. This jam prompts vehicles to speed up on other parts of the expressway, contributing to increased accidents. A feasibility study has proposed an alternative route for the ghat section to mitigate these challenges.

(Source: Free Press Journal)