Pune: In order to curb recurring accidents and traffic congestion near the Navale Bridge, 14 CCTV cameras will be integrated into the police monitoring network within the next 15 days, officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) told TOI on Tuesday, following a safety review.In addition to the enhanced surveillance, authorities have officially reduced the speed limit on this stretch from 60 kmph to 40 kmph.“The installation of the cameras is complete. We are currently finishing the integration process to ensure constant, real-time monitoring,” an NHAI official stated.The surveillance network is designed to cover the accident-prone downhill corridor between Katraj tunnel and Navale Bridge. This will allow traffic police and highway authorities to respond instantly to mishaps and strictly enforce the new speed regulations.Beyond digital surveillance, fresh engineering interventions are being implemented under the incident response and road patrol programme. These measures were reviewed during a recent road safety meeting chaired by Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi.Officials said fresh speed limit boards reflecting the revised 40kmph limit have been installed along the stretch. Several road safety features such as median barriers, rumble strips, lane markings, reflective cat-eyes, street lighting, blinkers and warning boards indicating accident-prone zones have also been installed on the highway.Work has also begun on installing 20mm-high rumble strips from the new Katraj tunnel to Navale Bridge to slow down vehicles descending the steep gradient. In addition, three more variable message sign (VMS) gantries will be installed to alert motorists about traffic conditions and safety instructions.The move follows a string of recent accidents. Just last month, a container truck lost control on the downhill slope near Jambhulwadi, ramming several vehicles and causing a major gridlock. A more devastating crash occurred in Nov last year when a speeding trailer truck killed eight people and injured many others. Investigators identified overspeeding and driver error as the primary causes in both instances.“It is essential to roll out these measures immediately to prevent further loss of life,” officials said.While NHAI noted that accident rates have gradually declined over the last three years due to previous interventions such as setting up of a police checkpost at Jambhulwadi and the use of speed guns, the new measures aim to eliminate high-speed risks entirely.Further long-term solutions are also on the horizon. Pune district administration officials said that IIT Delhi has been roped in to conduct a scientific study and will soon present a detailed report suggesting further preventive measures for the corridor.
