Mumbai-Pune Expressway traffic: MSRDC to credit toll refunds to FASTags after 33-hour ordeal

In a move aimed at providing relief to the thousands of motorists who bore the brunt of a massive traffic blockade earlier this month, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has announced a full refund of toll charges collected during the period of the jam. The refund, amounting to approximately ₹5.16 crore, will be credited directly to the FASTags of the affected vehicle owners, a senior MSRDC official confirmed on Sunday (February 22, 2026).

The chaos began on the evening of February 3, 2026 when a gas tanker overturned near the Adoshi tunnel in the Khandala Ghat section of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The subsequent gas leak prompted a massive emergency response, leading to the complete closure of the Pune-bound carriageway. For more than 33 hours, the arterial route resembled a parking lot, with an estimated one lakh vehicles trapped in queues stretching up to 20 km.

Commuters endured severe hardships, facing shortages of water, food, and medical assistance as the hours dragged on. The situation warranted a multi-agency response, with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) rushing to the spot to manage the leak and secure the area.

In a bid to manage the gridlock, authorities diverted traffic through the old Mumbai-Pune highway. On the affected lane, a painstaking effort was made to allow vehicles to creep forward in 15 to 20-minute windows.

While the toll collection had been temporarily suspended following the incident, the MSRDC has now decided to go a step further. “Despite the order to halt collections, we recognised the immense inconvenience caused to the public. Therefore, we have resolved to refund the entire toll amount collected from vehicle owners during that period,” the official stated. The corporation will now undertake the technical process of identifying the vehicles that passed through the toll plazas during the blockade and crediting the money back into their linked FASTag accounts.