Highway truths: Pothole-filled highway stretch between Mumbai-Vapi cause inconvenience to motorists

The potholefilled highway stretch between Mumbai and Vapi is to put it mildly horrible truck drivers car users and cops told midday during our test drive on the busy carriageway The road to Nashik fared a notch better though itrsquos still a nightmare for motorists Bad roads force drivers to cut lanes and raise the chances of accidentsThe road just before Bhagat Tara Singh restaurant on MumbaiNashik highway on August 19The MumbaiPune Expressway largely offers a smooth ride barring a few uneven stretches The roads between MumbaiAhmedabad and MumbaiNashik see huge traffic jams due to potholes The most common grouse of the drivers was that why the roads are not being maintained despite toll collectionAlso Read Major highways connecting Mumbai marred by potholes missing CCTVs traffic violationsMumbaiNashik highwayThe scene on this important carriageway was equally unpleasant though it has fewer potholes than the MumbaiVapi stretch Between Nashik and Igatpur midday saw some potholes filled with paver blocks After crossing the Ghoti toll the road looked like a vehicle test track for 200300 metresOn the Kasara Ghat section the road seemed to be in good condition The stretch between Kasara Ghat and Asangaon wasnrsquot very bad We came across the car that had met with an accident and had its front axel damagedAlso Read Mumbai Doctors find rise in neck and back pain cases due to potholes on roadsFrom the Padgah toll to the Ranjoli bridge potholes were aplenty and the road surface was uneven in many places which lead to traffic jams every day Further down the road on Anjur Phata bridge is in a deplorable condition giving a harrowing time to motoristsmidday came across this craterfilled stretch just before Bhagat Tara Singh restaurant on the MumbaiNashik highway PicPradeep DhivarWe met Marathi actor Chinmay Udgirkar who was driving to Mumbai from Igatpuri ldquoEvery monsoon we face the same problem Poor roads can cause accidents There might be some constraints but the authorities must solve the problem It is a matter of peoplersquos lives and we canrsquot play with it Nashik is a tourist place and many industries are also coming up here so the government has to provide better infrastructurerdquoUdgirkar said authorities must build concrete roads that last long ldquoThe Igatpuri stretch is famous for its scenic beauty and lots of people take this route for the same So the government needs to find a solution to this pothole problemrdquoAli Ahmad a truck driver coming from Odisha and going towards Kalyan said ldquoThe condition of the road is worse in some stretches of Maharashtra especially on the Nashik Mumbai road Every motorist has to pay a toll then it is the responsibility of the authority to make better roads There are so many potholes that we are forced to switch lanes at some pointrdquoVoicesChinmay Udgirkar Marathi actorlsquoIt is a matter of peoplersquos lives and we canrsquot play with it Nashik is a tourist place and many industries are also coming up here so the government has to provide better infrastructurersquoAli Ahmad truck driverlsquoIrsquom coming from Odisha and going towards Kalyan The condition of the road is worse in some stretches of Maharashtra especially on the Nashik Mumbai routersquoMumbaiPune ExpresswayThe sixlane highspeed road that runs for 94 km almost had no potholes It is way better than the MumbaiAhmedabad and MumbaiNashik highways However there are a few stretches where the surface has become uneven to wear and tearA vehicle being towed away on the MumbaiPune Expressway after an accident on August 16 PicSameer MarkandeJagruti D a frequent traveller on the Eway said ldquoThe road surface needs to be repaired at some places as it has become uneven Also there need to be more reflectors as driving in the ghat section becomes a bit difficult during monsoon and winter when there is poor visibilityrdquoKunal Chaudhari another motorist said ldquoAfter an increase in accidents on the Eway MSRDC had installed Brifen wire ropes at a few spots However it has got damaged in some places and needs to be repaired at the earliestrdquo The rope acts as a barrier to minimise damage in case of accidentsMumbaiAhmedabad highwaymidday started from Dahisar toll plaza to Vapi via the MumbaiAhmedabad highway Throughout our 142km journey we found several potholes on the stretch that is used by about 60000 vehicles a dayAs we crossed the Varsova bridge towards Vasai 200300 metres in the northbound direction appeared impassable due to huge craters A traffic constable posted there said vehicles take double the time to cross the stretch which triggers long snarls during morning and evening peak hours every dayldquoWe have written several letters to the authorities concerned including the National High Authority of India NHAI and the toll operator but the condition of the road has only turned from bad to worserdquo said the traffic constable requesting anonymityThe condition of the road at Bhilad near Gujarat RTO checkpost on the MumbaiAhemdabad highway on August 18 PicPradeep Dhivarmidday came across huge pits a few meters before the Shrisad Phata a pothole appeared just before Kharadtara bridge At least one big pothole was seen on every bridge Just before the Maharashtra checkpost workers from RK Infra which has the contract for repairs and maintenance were carrying out some patchwork On our way back to Mumbai we encountered huge potholes just before Talasari Panchayati Samiti Office bridge a big crater on the Dapchari bridge and another about 100 metres before the Mahalaxmi temple bridgeMotorists said potholes particularly pose serious risks to two and threewheeler users A few kilometres to go for the MaharashtraGujrat border RTO checkpost potholes were being repaired But drivers said it wonrsquot last longMore woes beyond the borderThe condition of the road towards Vapi after Maharashtra was even worse On our return we saw a tempo getting stuck in a huge crater close to the GujratMaharashtra RTO checkpost Roads were particularly horrible near the Valwada bridge Daman bridge Hotel Shree Daan bridge and Jakat Naka bridge The Cello company stretch Bhilad Hanuman temple road and the Jharoli stretch were full of potholesA highway traffic officer said ldquoWe are fed up with writing letters to the NHAI During patrolling we also take photos of potholes and share the location with the company that has been contracted to maintain the road They do temporary repairs but after the rain the potholes are back On some stretches vehicle movement is so slow that it takes hours to clear the congestionrdquoVoicesRajiv Kumar truck driverlsquoFor almost a year the condition of the road has remained the same We pay road taxes and toll but still canrsquot we expect good roads This is sheer negligence on the part of the government rsquoSandeep Jaiswal auto driver VapilsquoSome potholes here are as wide as 1520 inches Because of bad roads vehicular movement becomes so slow that it leads to traffic jams and causes accidents The government collects a toll from us Why are they not providing us with a good roadrsquo60KNo of vehicles that use the stretch between city and Vapi