Heavy rainfall coupled with strong winds triggered massive traffic congestion across Thane and Bhiwandi on Thursday, leaving commuters stranded for hours as waterlogging, fallen trees and vehicle breakdowns disrupted normal traffic movement.
Long queues of vehicles were reported on major roads, including the Ghodbunder Road stretch, Bhiwandi-Anjur Phata and several internal roads. Social media platforms were flooded with videos and photographs showing vehicles crawling through flooded roads and commuters stuck in gridlock.
Our very famous #GhodbunderRoad in Thane, especially you can never escape 24×7 traffic, this happened at the Patlipada bridge.
— Şนຖitควค໓hคง (@sunmor2901) July 23, 2026
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The truck just… pic.twitter.com/HHo07SAIgp
According to weather updates, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), including Thane, Kalyan and parts of western and central Mumbai, witnessed one of the wettest spells of the week. Weather observers predicted 150–200 mm of rainfall in several areas, accompanied by strong westerly winds exceeding 40 knots over the North Konkan coast, including Mumbai, Thane and Palghar.
The strong winds are expected to continue through the day before easing from Friday. Residents in Bhiwandi urged authorities to immediately restrict the entry of multi-axle vehicles from outside the city during the daytime, claiming that traffic had come to a standstill. Several commuters said journeys that usually take a few minutes stretched to more than three hours, while schoolchildren remained trapped in traffic for extended periods
Absolutely chaotic traffic on Ghodbunder Rd. Where are you @MTPHeToHelp @ThaneCityPolice
— #ProudIndian (@imsameer) July 23, 2026
We have informd to traffic control room.
— ठाणे पोलीस.. Thane Police (@ThaneCityPolice) July 23, 2026
Adding to the disruption, a large tree reportedly collapsed opposite Cosmos Park and Euro Kids Pre-Primary School, blocking an internal road. Separately, a tanker overturned on Ghodbunder Road at the Patlipada flyover, resulting in a complete traffic jam from Kasarvadavali to Manpada and further worsening congestion.
@TMCaTweetAway @ThaneCollector
— Seshan Ranganathan???????? (@seshanm) July 23, 2026
* The State of our roads in Thane City
* The State of our Traffic Management
* When will the Metro actually start?
* Who is being held responsible for the delays? The agony of motorists & commuters.@CMOMaharashtra @Dev_Fadnavis… pic.twitter.com/dHAuzjddyP
Many commuters criticised the authorities on social media.
Still there is no dedicated traffic police officer to control this traffic, today also same situation. Please help on this issue. pic.twitter.com/ncSze6S2ck
— CHINNA (@sekhar5505) July 23, 2026
This is a daily nuisance on Thane roads. Everyday on an avg 2 trucks breakdown within thane & cause huge traffic jam.
— amhithanekar (@santhasmiles) July 23, 2026
Why are they even allowed at this Time
What happened to the strict timings @MTPHereToHelp @ThaneTraffic @ThaneCityPolice @mieknathshinde @CMOMaharashtra #thane pic.twitter.com/qXiz2dNdmW
Several users also tagged the Thane Traffic Police and Thane City Police, seeking immediate intervention. Responding to one such complaint regarding chaotic traffic on Ghodbunder Road, the Thane City Police said the matter had been reported to the Traffic Control Room.
@ThaneCityPolice huge traffic jam from patlipada upto Brahmand on 20 lane Ghodbunder road. pls resolve at the earliest to save nation's fuel and manhours. @CMOMaharashtra @mieknathshinde @MMRDAOfficial pic.twitter.com/swcdpzDZbp
— Kedar Joshi (@kedarjoshi82) July 23, 2026
ALSO READ: Mumbai Rains Live Update: Heavy Rains Lash Mumbai, Thane; Modak Sagar Lake Overflows
Authorities have advised motorists to avoid non-essential travel, drive cautiously and follow official traffic advisories until weather conditions improve.
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