Prayagraj: Thousands of commuters, including office-goers, were trapped in a massive traffic jam for more than five hours after a crushed-stone-laden truck broke down in the middle of the Phaphamau Ganga Bridge on the Prayagraj-Lucknow highway on Friday. The traffic was restored only after traffic police authorities along with Phaphamau and Shivkuti police, rushed to the spot and cleared the route.DCP (Traffic) Neeraj Pandey told TOI, “A crushed stone laden truck broke down on Phaphamau Bridge on the Prayagraj-Lucknow highway early Friday and led to snarls on the busy route. Both traffic and police teams were deployed to clear the route.”As the truck broke down in the middle of the bridge, cops had to restrict vehicular movement on both sides of the bridge. A Hydra crane was used to remove the truck. This led to a long queue of vehicles on both sides, and cops had to divert the route for vehicles moving from the city to trans-Ganga via Andhawa crossing.As Phaphamau bridge connects the city to trans-Ganga pockets as well as the Prayagraj-Lucknow-Pratapgarh and Ayodhya route, there has always been an additional volume of vehicles on one of the city’s busiest bridges. “We were stuck in the snarl for over four hours, and there is no alternative route to avoid the packed route,” said Shalini, one of the trapped commuters.eom
