Sudden downpour and dam discharge disrupted evening traffic across Pune.
Bhide Bridge and riverbed road closure forced vehicles onto city routes.
Major roads like Ganeshkhind, JM Road and Karve Road saw hour-long delays.
Pune, 16 September 2025: Pune witnessed massive traffic chaos on Monday evening as heavy rain and water discharge from the Khadakwasla dam brought the city to a crawl. Many office-goers returning home were caught in bumper-to-bumper jams, with short trips stretching to over an hour.
Authorities temporarily closed the Bhide Bridge and the riverbed road due to rising water levels. Although the roads were reopened after the water receded late in the evening, most drivers avoided the area, pushing more vehicles onto already busy city routes.
Traffic bottlenecks were reported on Ganeshkhind Road near Shivajinagar, Range Hills, and COEP College, while Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Road from Kasba Peth to Swargate saw heavy congestion. Similar gridlocks slowed movement on Jangli Maharaj Road, Deccan Gymkhana, Lokmanya Tilak Road, Karve Road, and Sinhagad Road, where vehicles crawled for long stretches.
The situation worsened on the Pune University to Yashwantrao Chavan Bridge section and key corridors in Hadapsar, Magarpatta, Kharadi, and Mundhwa, where queues of cars and buses stretched for kilometres. Bus passengers stood packed for long periods, while students and office workers reached home late and exhausted.
Despite late-night efforts to ease traffic, the city struggled to recover from the combined impact of heavy rain, road closures, and evening rush hour.
