Heavy Traffic on Pune Highways as Post-Diwali Rush Brings Vehicles to a Crawl

Pune, 25th October 2025: As the Diwali festivities come to an end, Pune’s highways are witnessing massive traffic congestion, with thousands of commuters returning from their hometowns and holiday destinations. The surge in return travel over the weekend has led to long delays on major routes connecting Pune with Mumbai, Nashik, Solapur, and Bengaluru.

From early Saturday morning, vehicles moved at a snail’s pace on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway, Pune–Bengaluru National Highway, Pune–Nashik Highway, Ahmednagar Road, Solapur Road, and the Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg. Some stretches took over an hour to cross, causing frustration among motorists and passengers.

The situation was particularly severe on the Pune–Bengaluru Highway (NH-4), where ongoing infrastructure and widening works near Islampur, Karad, and Satara have resulted in traffic diversions. Travelers reported that the usual five-hour journey between Pune and Kolhapur stretched to nearly eight hours due to the slow movement of vehicles.

Officials said the congestion is part of the annual post-Diwali traffic trend, when migrant workers and professionals return to Pune and Mumbai after spending the holidays with their families in other parts of Maharashtra and neighboring states. The weekend rush was also amplified by tourists returning from popular hill stations such as Mahabaleshwar, Lonavala, Sinhagad, and Bhimashankar.

Traffic departments across the region have stepped up efforts to manage the situation. Personnel from the Pune Rural Police and Pimpri-Chinchwad Traffic Branch were deployed at key choke points along the expressway and old highway to regulate the flow of vehicles and assist commuters.

A senior official from the Pimpri-Chinchwad Traffic Branch urged drivers to remain patient and drive cautiously. “We have deployed additional teams at major junctions to ease congestion. Motorists are requested to follow lane discipline and avoid unnecessary overtaking,” the official said.

Authorities have also appealed to citizens to plan their travel schedules carefully, anticipate possible delays, and prioritize road safety as the city transitions back to normal after the festive break.