I have always loved the Bombay-Pune Expressway and thought of it as far more impressive than the legendary Grand Trunk Road or Route 66. I know it has some sort of official name too but have yet to meet anyone who knows what it is, so I won’t bother recalling it. I’m not the only one who loves it either, given the number of travellers who use it daily. I remember when it opened, and the joy with which it was welcomed by those long accustomed to its bone-rattling predecessor. I remember the beauty of the ghats, and how it allowed us to forgive everything that could and would go wrong on some of those drives. Nostalgia always gets in the way when I try to be objective about that 95-kilometre stretch that has taken millions of us from this city’s dusty streets to the slightly less dusty streets of Khandala or Lonavala.

Now, however, there appears to be a sort of reckoning when it comes to evaluating the Expressway. A few weeks ago, a traffic jam reportedly persisted for over 30 hours, prompting many politicians to call for long-term solutions. Apparently, a gas tanker overturned, and everything broke down. Women and children were stuck in vehicles, there was no communication from the government, and it will inevitably take those unfortunate people a long time to get over what must have been a harrowing experience.