Ulwe: Persistent traffic congestion at Wahal Chowk, a key entry point to Navi Mumbai from Ulwe, has left residents and daily commuters frustrated. Office-goers travelling by cars and two-wheelers, along with autorickshaw passengers, have been facing delays for several months, particularly during peak hours.

Residents say the absence of traffic personnel during busy periods often worsens the situation, leaving motorists struggling to navigate the congested stretch.

Pallab Biswas, a regular commuter to Chembur, said, “Ongoing road-widening work has added to the problem. The road-widening work has been going on, but there is no proper traffic signal or effective traffic management.”

The bottleneck is particularly severe near Malvan Tadka Hotel and continues towards the Navi Mumbai entry point at Wahal Junction. According to residents, nearly a kilometre-long stretch experiences heavy congestion during peak hours.

“This issue has been continuing for several months. We are also tired of repeatedly raising the same question—when will this work be completed?” said Pallab, a Sector 23 resident.

Shagun Chowk, another important junction connecting different sectors of Ulwe, has also been a concern. Sumit Soni, a Sector 8 resident, said, “Until last week, there was no traffic signal at the junction, and we had several harrowing experiences while navigating through the chowk.” He added that although a signal has now been installed, evening and night-time traffic continues to make commuting difficult.

With more people moving into Ulwe due to comparatively affordable housing and improved connectivity to Mumbai through Atal Setu, traffic pressure has increased here.

Residents are seeking better traffic management, adequate deployment of traffic personnel during peak hours, and signals at key junctions.