Heavy post-Diwali rush caused major traffic jams on Pune’s entry routes.
Highways like Mumbai–Bengaluru, Nashik–Pune, and Solapur–Pune saw massive slowdowns.
Over 65,000 vehicles crossed the Pune–Satara highway amid poor traffic control.
Pune, 27 October 2025: Pune witnessed severe traffic jam on Sunday evening as thousands of people returning from their homes after the Diwali break flooded the city’s entry routes. The traffic, which had been building up since morning, worsened by evening, leaving commuters battling bumper-to-bumper jams for hours.
Commuters heading toward Pune found themselves stuck in long queues, with some even attempting to use wrong lanes to enter the city, leading to gridlock on both sides. Several ambulances were trapped in the jam, forcing locals at some spots to step in and manually direct traffic. Many commuters complained that police were missing from key routes during the peak rush hours.
Heavy traffic was reported on the Mumbai–Bengaluru National Highway and the outer ring roads, with a surge in vehicles traveling from Kolhapur toward Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayandar.
Similar congestion was seen on the Nashik–Pune highway near Chakan and on the Solapur–Pune route, where vehicles were moving at a snail’s pace. Industrial buses from Ahmednagar, Shirur, and Ranjangaon also added to the load on the highways.
According to traffic officials, about 65,000 vehicles passed through the Pune–Satara highway on Sunday. Congestion was particularly severe near the Harishchandri, Kapurhol, and Khed-Shivapur toll plazas, where flyover construction slowed down movement. Though traffic wasn’t completely halted, vehicles crawled along for several kilometres, with queues stretching up to two kilometres in some areas.
On the Ahmednagar–Pune highway, traffic was relatively smooth for most of the day except for minor slowdowns near Shikrapur, Koregaon Bhima, Perne Phata, and Alandi Phata. The Kesnand area on the Ashtavinayak route saw mild congestion in the evening.
The Solapur highway near Uruli Kanchan, however, witnessed one of the worst jams, as vehicles were stuck in both directions. A journey that would normally take 45 minutes stretched to over two and a half hours. With no police presence, locals were seen trying to manage traffic themselves. Three ambulances were reportedly trapped in the gridlock there.
By late evening, the Mumbai–Bengaluru highway at Sus also saw a massive traffic as Diwali travellers made their way back to Pune and Mumbai, marking one of the busiest post-holiday weekends of the year.