Pune Navale Bridge: Survey Warned of Highway Slope Risk Three Years Ago; Lack of Long-Term Fixes Blamed for Continuing Fatal Accidents

Narhe, 15th November 2025: A survey conducted three years ago by the Delhi-based organisation ‘Save Life’ had warned that the slope between the new Katraj tunnel and the Navale bridge posed serious safety risks.

The report had also noted that the stretch was unsuitable for mixed traffic and required both immediate and long-term engineering solutions. While the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) implemented short-term measures, officials neglected the long-term recommendations—resulting in continued accidents and loss of lives on the busy highway.

Acting on instructions from the Transport Commissioner, ‘Save Life’ surveyed the Katraj–Navale bridge stretch and documented critical observations to prevent accidents. The organisation highlighted engineering defects and stressed that the steep gradient was a major factor behind recurring mishaps.

According to the findings, the gradient near the new Katraj tunnel is 5 percent. Although the Indian Road Congress (IRC) 73 rating considers this gradient acceptable, ‘Save Life’ argued that it is unsafe for an already accident-prone zone. The group recommended creating an alternate route to eliminate the slope. However, NHAI rejected this option, reportedly due to high construction costs.

Experts have suggested reducing the gradient to 3 percent to improve safety. The lack of corrective action, they said, continues to put lakhs of daily commuters at risk. More than 2.4 lakh vehicles travel on this highway regularly, including a high volume of heavy vehicles.

Traffic experts have explained why vehicles frequently lose control on this stretch:
Long and steep slopes push heavy vehicles to gain excessive speed.
Drivers are forced to apply brakes continuously, heating the brake pads and reducing their effectiveness.
In many cases, brake pads fail completely, leading to catastrophic accidents.
Some drivers shift to ‘neutral’ to save fuel while descending, causing the engine to lose control over the vehicle.
Heavy vehicles carrying large loads become even harder to control on steep slopes.