Supriya Sule stuck in massive Mumbai–Pune Expressway jam, misses party's Maharashtra Day event; shares video from gridlock

MUMBAI: NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule was among hundreds of commuters stranded in a massive traffic jam on the Lonavala–Khandala ghat stretch on Friday, as a sudden weekend rush and Maharashtra Day traffic brought vehicular movement on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway to a near standstill.According to reports, vehicle queues stretched up to 5 km, leaving commuters stuck for hours.Sule was travelling from Mumbai to Pune but got caught in the jam around 7.30 am, causing her to miss the party’s flag-hoisting programme in Pune.She later shared a video from the expressway, interacting with fellow motorists who were also stranded in the congestion. Supriya said that she remained stuck in the gridloc for almost two hours.In the video, the MP described the situation as a stark reminder of everyday commuting challenges faced by citizens, especially on key routes connecting Mumbai and Pune.The traffic snarls were triggered by a surge in holiday traffic, with the long weekend drawing a large number of vehicles towards Pune and nearby tourist destinations.The situation worsened near Khopoli due to diversions linked to the newly inaugurated Missing Link tunnel project, which narrowed the carriageway and created a bottleneck.The heavy traffic volume, combined with reduced road width at certain stretches, slowed movement to a crawl.