Mumbai: Sanctioned almost 12 years ago to streamline traffic between Mumbai, Konkan and Goa, the proposed 555-km Mumbai-Goa Highway is likely to be operational by December, 2024. According to a senior official from state PWD, the work is going on in full swing and the 84-km stretch between Panvel and Kasu is 99% complete. The highway is being constructed at a cost of Rs 44,000 Crore and is executed by NHAI along with various state agencies.
“We have divided the entire project into 10 packages of which six have been completed. What remains is completion of the tunnel in package 3, of which one side is already operational while the other side will be open to the public by July 15. Similarly, minor works remain to be completed in package 1 which will be completed by December, 2024,” the official said.
Once operational, it will take 6-8 hours for the people to travel the distance between Mumbai and Goa. “The 84-km stretch between Panvel and Indapur has been divided into two packages. While the 42-km stretch between Panvel and Kasu is 99% complete and will be operational soon, the work on remaining 42-km between Kasu and Indapur has been taken on war footing,” the official said adding, about 45% of the physical work in this package has been completed.
Meanwhile, a senior NHAI official reiterated that the entire Mumbai-Goa Highway will be operational by December. Stating that the highway will bring the much-needed relief to the people of Konkan, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari had earlier said that the project would be completed by June, 2024.
“There were many problems regarding the construction of the project, and all those would be solved soon paving the way for the completion of the highway. The entire stretch between Mumbai and Goa would start by June, except the Chiplun flyover,” Gadkari had said during his recent visit to Mumbai.
The highway has been the talk of the town among people who said that while the state government took all the efforts to see to it that the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) and the coastal road for the benefit of the commuters and residents of the capital city, but turned a blind eye on the completion of the Mumbai-Goa highway.
