Pune's Traffic Woes Set for Major Relief with New Mutha Bridge
Commuters in Pune who regularly use the congested Mumbai-Bengaluru bypass are about to get some welcome news. One side of the new bridge being constructed over the Mutha river is scheduled to open to the public by February of next year. This partial opening is expected to provide significant relief from the heavy traffic that currently plagues the stretch between Warje and Navale Bridge.
Why a New Bridge Was Needed
The Mumbai-Bengaluru bypass was originally built decades ago with a clear purpose: to prevent through-traffic from entering Pune's already crowded city roads. The section from Somatane Phata to Katraj successfully allowed vehicles travelling between Mumbai and Bengaluru to bypass the city centre. However, Pune's rapid urban growth and expansion eventually absorbed the bypass within the city's limits. What was once a bypass is now a major arterial road used daily by thousands of local residents for their commute.
This led to severe traffic congestion and a rise in accidents on the stretch from Katraj to Ambegaon and Tathawade. While the construction of a multi-level flyover at Chandni Chowk solved the bottleneck there, the traffic problem simply shifted to the area between Warje and Navale Bridge.
The core of the issue lies with the existing Mutha river bridge. It was initially a four-lane structure, but the development of service roads on both sides of the river and the existing bypass road has funneled more traffic onto the bridge, which is now too narrow to handle the volume efficiently.
The NHAI's Solution and Project Timeline
To address this growing problem, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) undertook the construction of a new bridge over the Mutha river. The new structure is being built with lanes on either side of the existing bridge.
The project's progress was recently reviewed by Supriya Sule, the NCP(SP) working president. As the work falls under the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, which she represents in Parliament, she provided a clear timeline for the public. "One lane of the bridge will be open to the public by February next year and the entire bridge will be inaugurated in May 2026. This will help resolve heavy traffic in Warje," Sule stated.
She emphasized that the citizens of Pune are tired of constant traffic snarls and that civic issues like these must be prioritized.
In a complementary move to further decongest the area, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to widen the service roads along the bypass. This will encourage smaller local vehicles to use the service roads, thereby freeing up space on the main highway for longer-distance traffic.
The upcoming opening of the new Mutha bridge lane marks a critical step forward in untangling one of Pune's most persistent traffic nightmares.
