Commute grinds to a crawl in Nashik city as dug-up stretches turn rain-soaked roads into slushy death traps

Nashik: The city’s already damaged roads have been pushed into chaos after the monsoon rain, turning daily commutes into a stressful grind. Dug-up stretches have become slushy death traps, particularly for two-wheeler riders, as relentless rain mixed with ongoing roadworks leaves motorists battling waterlogged roads, thick mud and endless traffic snarls.Over the past two days, several parts of the city witnessed severe waterlogging and slippery conditions that reduced traffic to a crawl. Residents said their patience was wearing thin as commute times continued to soar. With road widening and strengthening projects under way at multiple locations, several stretches have been reduced to single lanes carrying two-way traffic, creating bottlenecks across the city.Bhavesh Mandlik, an entrepreneur from Bodhalenagar, said, “Travelling on city roads is frustrating every day, but Friday and Saturday were on another level altogether. There was bumper-to-bumper traffic at Kathe Galli, Mumbai Naka, Old Agra Road and Gangapur Road. A journey that normally takes 25 minutes stretched to more than an hour-and-a-half.”

Adding to the misery, muddy surfaces left behind by construction work have become a major hazard for two-wheeler riders.

Commuters reported frequent skidding incidents, particularly on Gangapur Road and near Dwarka, where several riders struggled to maintain control of their vehicles.So alarming was the situation that the Satpur fire brigade had to step in. Apart from responding to two tree-fall incidents, the officials were forced to dispatch a water tanker to a stretch of Gangapur Road near a wedding hall after repeated reports of motorcyclists slipping on accumulated mud.

A fire official said, “The road had to be washed on both Friday and Saturday as mud from construction activity on the adjoining lane continuously spilled onto the carriageway.

”A similar situation unfolded near Wadala, where fire department personnel from Shingada Talav rushed a water tanker to clear heavy slush after a flood of complaints from motorists. Acknowledging the growing crisis, assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Madhav Reddy said, “We are in active communication with Nashik Municipal Corporation to ensure roads are repaired, cleaned and washed at the earliest.”

As if the city’s road woes were not enough, Saturday morning brought another shock when a stretch near Carbon Naka in Satpur suddenly caved in. The collapse forced authorities to shut a key route used daily by thousands of industrial workers, creating further disruption in one of the city’s busiest industrial belts.