New Delhi: Commuters faced trouble, ambulances stopped and travelers heading to hometowns found themselves stranded on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway (NH 48) on Thursday after a massive traffic jam. The gridlock lasted for almost 24 hours stretching from the Jambua bridge, extending to several kilometers.
Five ambulances were also reported to be stuck in the jam raising serious concerns about emergency response during such situations. The traffic was further exacerbated due to continuous downpour in the accompanying areas of Jambua and Por village.
Commuters blame Jambua Bridge’s poor maintenance
Several commuters blamed the narrow Jambua bridge, which is often known as the “Choke Point”. Even a small accident leads to hour-long traffic at the bridge. Shardul Patel, a resident of Makarpura said, ” This happens too often. The Jambua Bridge is too narrow to handle the volume of traffic. A small incident or vehicle breakdown is enough to block the highway.”
The area near the Vadodara highway is one of the busiest corridors as there are several industrial structures in the nearby areas of Waghodia and Por village.
“The potholes on the Jambua Bridge are huge. Maintenance work is always done during the monsoon, which is a problem. This work should be completed before the monsoon season,” another commuter said.
Several commuters have also complained that the road was better earlier, but now cemented road was paved, potholes have become a regular hazard during the monsoon rains.
No sign of traffic police
Resident Ajaybhai Panchal said that despite informing the traffic police about the situation, no assistance had arrived even after two hours. “This is a five-year-old problem. Every monsoon, potholes cause major traffic jams here. We repeatedly call the department, but their teams don’t arrive in time,” Bhaskar English quoted the resident as saying. He also added that urgent attention is needed as the bridge is a critical link between the city and Por.
