Monkey Bridge Collapses at Karnala Ghat on Mumbai-Goa Highway
A monkey bridge constructed along the Karnala Ghat section of the Mumbai-Goa Highway collapsed on Tuesday after a heavy vehicle allegedly crashed into the structure, severely disrupting vehicular movement on the stretch for several hours. The incident prompted traffic police to divert vehicles travelling from Panvel towards Pen onto the Pen-Panvel lane while emergency clearance operations took place.
The elevated bridge had been specifically built across the highway to allow monkeys living in the adjacent forested area to safely cross after the road was split into two separate carriageways. According to initial reports, the structure came crashing down when a heavy vehicle carrying a boiler struck the bridge while travelling through the Karnala Ghat route.
The collapse led to immediate traffic bottlenecks in the area. Video footage of the incident that surfaced on social media showed several vehicles slowing down as motorists cautiously drove past the collapsed bridge. A long queue of stalled vehicles was also seen forming on the opposite side of the busy highway stretch.
Upon receiving information about the collapse, personnel from the Forest Department and local traffic police immediately rushed to the spot in Karnala Ghat. Responding teams worked to clear the heavy obstruction by removing the fallen structure from the carriageway.
Following the removal of the bridge, normal traffic movement on the section was fully restored shortly afterwards, as reported by Pudhari. During the interim period, traffic police managed the flow by redirecting vehicles travelling from Panvel towards Pen onto the Pen-Panvel lane to prevent further gridlock.
Traffic police officials have urged motorists to check road conditions before travelling along the route. Meanwhile, a further investigation is underway by authorities to determine whether the bridge collapsed strictly as a result of the collision with the heavy vehicle carrying the boiler or if another reason contributed to the structural failure.
