Mangalore: It was a nightmarish confluence of incidents for the city traffic police as the closure of one of the main entry roads into the city and a breakdown of a truck led to a ripple effect that stalled vehicular movement on National Highway 66 around Pumpwell circle on Wednesday.

The Southern Railways had closed the railway level-crossing at Jeppu-Mahakalipadpu on the road connecting the Highway to Morgan’s Gate between 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. The blockage of the important road for asphalting measures cut off the direct and shortest route for motorists to traverse from south Mangalore towards Kerala.

This meant that motorists from Kerala – and those going towards south of the district – had to traverse only through Pumpwell circle where traffic jams are common due the construction of a flyover. The problems compounded, when around 10.30 a.m., a truck broke down on the two-laned Yekkur Railway Over Bridge, said Uday Naik, Assistant Commissioner of Traffic.

“For more than two hours, only one lane on the Yekkur Bridge was functional. As the Jeppu-Mahakalipadpu road was also blocked, traffic had increased on the highway by at least 25 per cent,” he said. The truck could only be moved out after two hours.

Though four policemen had been posted at the turn off to Mahakalipadpu, constables reported that the confusion over closing of the road had led to blockages in the morning. “There were vehicles that attempted to turn in to the road, and this blocked the unwidened part of the highway,” said a policeman.

Nearly 10 police officials had been posted at Pumpwell circle to handle the movement of vehicles. Due to the slow movement of traffic at the important junction, vehicles piled up at Nanthoor junction as well as the Karavali junction.

The traffic started easing up only around 2.30 p.m.