Pune Ganesh procession traffic: Check full list of closed roads, parking sites - The Indian Express

A 48-hour ban on heavy vehicles across Pune city, an alternative ring-road route for traffic and phased closure of 17 major roads will be the key traffic measures during the Ganesh idol immersion processions on September 25 and 26, the Pune traffic police said.

The restrictions will come into force in phases from early Friday, with roads in central parts of the city being closed as the immersion processions move through them. The traffic police have also identified diversion points and an alternative ring-road route to keep traffic moving around the procession corridors. Heavy vehicles of all categories will be prohibited from entering Pune city from 12.01 am on September 25 until midnight on September 26.

The traffic police said they are using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to identify areas prone to congestion and decide where to deploy personnel during the festival. The traffic control branch has used the AI-based platform Trafficure since the festival’s first day to monitor traffic patterns, predict congestion, and help officers redeploy personnel based on real-time conditions.

The arrangements were made in anticipation of large crowds on the final day of Ganeshotsav, when devotees and members of hundreds of mandals gather along the traditional procession routes to witness the immersion processions. The main immersion procession will be held on four roads — Laxmi Road, Tilak Road, Kumthekar Road and Kelkar Road—all converging at Alaka Talkies Chowk. The main procession will begin with the Pooja performed at the first Manacha Ganpati — Shri Kasba Ganpati at 9 am on September 25.

The first restrictions will begin at 5 am on September 25, when Laxmi Road, between Sant Kabir Chowk and Alka Talkies Chowk, will be closed to traffic. Shivaji Road, from Kakasaheb Gadgil statue to Jedhe Chowk, and Tilak Road, from Jedhe Chowk to Tilak Chowk, will close from 9 am.

From 10 am, restrictions will be imposed on Bajirao Road, between Savarkar Chowk and Futka Buruj Chowk; Kumthekar Road, between Tilak Chowk and Chitale Corner Chowk; Ganesh Road, between Daruwala Bridge and Jijamata Chowk; Kelkar Road, between Budhwar Chowk and Alka Talkies Chowk; and Shastri Road, between Senadatta Chowk and Alka Talkies Chowk.

The closure will be extended to Jangli Maharaj Road, between Jhansi Rani Chowk and Khandoji Baba Chowk, from 11 am. Fergusson College Road, between Khandoji Baba Chowk and Fergusson College main gate, will also close from 11 am.

From noon, restrictions will come into force on Bhandarkar Road, between PYC Gymkhana and Goodluck Chowk; Pune-Satara Road, between Volga Chowk and Jedhe Chowk; Solapur Road, between Seven Loves Chowk and Jedhe Chowk; and Prabhat Road, between Deccan Post and Bhelare Mama Chowk. Bagade Road, between Sonya Maruti Chowk and Phadke Haud Chowk, and Guru Nanak Road, between Devjibaba Chowk and Hamzekhan Chowk, will close from 9 am.

The closures will remain in force until the immersion processions have passed through the respective stretches. The police said traffic restrictions will be implemented according to the movement of the processions and the prevailing traffic situation.

With the central city roads expected to remain heavily congested, motorists have been advised to use the alternative ring-road route instead of entering the procession corridors.

The designated route links several roads and junctions around the central city, including Karve Road and Nal Stop, Law College Road, Senapati Bapat Road, Ganeshkhind Road, the areas around Shivajinagar and the university, Satara Road and Volga Chowk, besides other connecting roads. Traffic police will regulate movement at various junctions along this route as restrictions are progressively imposed.

The traffic police also identified diversion points at major junctions including Jhansi Rani Chowk on Jangli Maharaj Road, Kakasaheb Gadgil statue on Shivaji Road, Apollo Talkies and Daruwala Bridge on Mudaliar Road, Sant Kabir police chowky on Laxmi Road, Seven Loves Chowk on Solapur Road, Volga Chowk on Satara Road, Savarkar Chowk on Bajirao Road, Senadatta police chowky on Lal Bahadur Shastri Road, Nal Stop on Karve Road and Goodluck Chowk on Fergusson College Road.

Motorists will be diverted from these points as and when the immersion processions reach the respective roads.

The ban on heavy vehicles will remain in force across Pune city for the entire 48-hour period from 12.01 am on September 25 to midnight on September 26. The restriction aims to prevent heavy vehicles from adding to congestion and obstructing processions and emergency vehicles.

The police will also enforce no-parking restrictions on several key roads and at points adjoining the procession routes. The police have identified no-parking and diversion points on Jangli Maharaj Road, Shivaji Road, Mudaliar Road, Laxmi Road, Solapur Road, Satara Road, Bajirao Road, Lal Bahadur Shastri Road, Karve Road and Fergusson College Road.

Separate traffic arrangements have also been made for Dhayari Phata, Keshav Nagar-Mundhwa and Sasane Nagar-Hadapsar. In the Sasane Nagar-Hadapsar area, changes will be implemented around the Kalepadal underpass, Mundhwa and Sasane Nagar-Manjri Road to regulate movement during the immersion period.

The police have also made parking arrangements at 26 locations for citizens travelling to Pune for the immersion processions. Citizens have been advised to park only at designated locations and avoid leaving vehicles on roads that are likely to be used by the processions.