Christmas day sees traffic mayhem in Manali, Mumbai-Pune Expressway | Top updates

livemint.com:

find solace in the mountains found themselves in the middle of chaos as they waited for hours in long traffic jams across the popular tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh. The government is expecting more than one lakh tourists around Christmas and New Year, and the administration has made special arrangements for the same. The people commuting on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway faced the same ordeal as the roads remained packed with travelers out to celebrate the three-day Christmas weekend.

Thousands of people from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Thane journeyed towards Pune and the hill stations of Lonavala and Khandala using the expressway. The extensive traffic backlog initiated at Borghat and extended to the crucial thoroughfares of Thane, significantly impacted commuters. Meanwhile, the situation in Mumbai city remained unaffected and maintained normalcy.

Bengaluru also experienced a substantial influx, leading to prolonged traffic bottlenecks throughout the weekend. The surge was particularly noticeable in the vicinity of Orion Mall in Rajajinagar, Phoenix Marketcity in Mahadevapura, and Phoenix Mall of Asia in Byatarayanapura. For certain individuals, gaining entry into these malls demanded nearly 90 minutes due to the overwhelming surge in traffic.