Pune: Oversized containers continue to get stuck at the Morwadi grade separator underpass on the Mumbai-Pune highway, with seven to eight such incidents reported between Feb and Oct this year. The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has yet to find a lasting solution to the recurring problem.The latest incident occurred around 5am on Oct 17, when a container truck got stuck inside the underpass, forcing the closure of one lane for nearly four to five hours. In Feb, another container remained stuck for more than 11 hours, causing prolonged traffic disruption.The absence of effective height barriers allowed oversized vehicles, particularly containers taller than 4.5 metres, to enter the underpass and get stuck when drivers misjudge the available clearance.Amit Dolas, police inspector with the Pimpri traffic division, told TOI that such incidents now occur at least once or twice a month.“The problem is largely restricted to the Mumbai-to-Pune carriageway and occurs mostly at night. Traffic police initiate action against the drivers and vehicle owners after every incident,” he said.PCMC officials said height barriers had been installed at the location several times over the past few years. However, heavy vehicles frequently damage or break them within hours. The process of pulling out stuck containers also damages the upper portion of the underpass, adding to the civic body’s repair burden.“We have written to the municipal corporation several times, demanding stronger height barriers similar to those installed by the Railways, which cannot be easily damaged. We have also sought two barriers at separate points on the same stretch so that at least one continues to restrict oversized vehicles even if the other is damaged,” Dolas said.He said the recurring incidents inconvenience commuters and put additional pressure on traffic police, who have to keep personnel deployed until the road is cleared.“Whenever a container or oversized truck gets stuck, we have to call cranes and heavy machinery to pull it out. The operation takes time, during which one or two lanes of the busy highway have to remain closed. This leads to congestion, with traffic queues often stretching for several kilometres,” he said.Although signboards have recently been installed to warn drivers about the underpass clearance, oversized vehicles continue to enter the stretch. “Many drivers come from outside Maharashtra and are unable to understand the language used on the boards, while others often overlook the warnings at night,” a civic official said.Traffic officials have also questioned whether the underpass clearance is the only issue. Vehicles reportedly measuring less than 4.5 metres in height have also got stuck, prompting suspicions that road repair work carried out by the civic body may have reduced the available clearance.Sandhya Wagh, joint city engineer at PCMC, told TOI that the civic body had planned to install a height barrier at the location. “The material required for the barrier has already been kept ready. We are awaiting clearance for traffic diversion to carry out the work. The barrier will be installed soon,” she said.Wagh said PCMC would initially install one barrier. A decision on installing a second barrier, as demanded by the traffic police, would be taken later.Another civic official said the new height barrier would be stronger and would be installed within a week.Meanwhile, residents criticised the civic body for failing to resolve the issue despite it recurring for years. Suraj Gaikwad, a Pimpri resident, said he had been witnessing container trucks getting stuck at the underpass for the past four to five years.“The Morwadi underpass is located close to the PCMC headquarters, where senior officials, including the municipal commissioner, sit. If the civic administration cannot address an issue that occurs so frequently in its own backyard, it raises questions about how it is handling civic problems in other parts of the city,” he said.Pratik Jadhav, an Akurdi resident who regularly travels along the Morwadi underpass stretch, said he had not seen any significant efforts by either the PCMC or the traffic police to resolve the issue.“The authorities should have started working on a solution long ago. The Feb incident should have served as a wake-up call, when a lane remained closed for nearly 10 to 11 hours, leaving regular commuters, including me, stuck in heavy traffic. Yet, the incident failed to prompt the authorities into action,” he said.
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