As Diwali festivities wind down, many Hyderabad residents who traveled to their hometowns for the holiday and weekend are now on the return journey. However, the celebration hasn’t ended for everyone, as highways leading back to Hyderabad have become bottlenecks of congestion, mirroring scenes typically seen during Dussehra and Sankranti festivals.
On Sunday alone, hundreds of vehicles packed the national highways, creating massive traffic jams that brought traffic to a crawl near key toll plazas. The Vijayawada-Hyderabad and Warangal-Hyderabad highways were especially impacted, with vehicles moving at a snail’s pace due to traffic stretching for kilometers in some areas. The Pantangi toll plaza near Chautuppal mandal faced the brunt of this influx, where cars and buses clogged up as technical issues arose from the sudden influx of vehicles.
With heavy congestion at Pantangi, even additional counters and an increased number of scanners proved insufficient to prevent the delays. The sheer volume of traffic overwhelmed the toll plaza systems, causing vehicles to move forward slowly, adding to the frustration of tired holiday-goers eager to return home.
Similarly, near the Warangal-Hyderabad highway, vehicles were seen lined up for long stretches, as commuters grew increasingly frustrated with the delayed journey. Toll plazas around Hyderabad faced similar challenges, forcing local officials to step up efforts to manage the situation. Special measures, including increased staffing and temporary traffic management efforts, were put in place to alleviate the backlog.
Authorities are urging drivers to remain patient, exercise caution, and plan their travels with these delays in mind. As the Diwali holiday ends, travelers are advised to keep these highway delays in mind, especially on weekends and peak travel days, to avoid prolonged delays in the future.
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