Mumbai-Nashik, Mumbai-Goa highways riddled with potholes weeks before Ganeshotsav

With Ganeshotsav just a month away commuters who frequently travel from the city to their hometowns using the MumbaiNashik and MumbaiGoa Highways have raised serious concerns about potholes questioning whether our authorities possess the competence to fix the issue Both the highways are currently severely pockmarked posing a serious threat to motorists Six people have lost their lives in accidents on the MumbaiNashik Highway during the ongoing monsoon seasonWhile itrsquos has been almost 18 years since work on its MumbaiGoa counterpart began but with no improvement visible The 150kilometrelong journey between Mumbai and Nashik and the 466kmlong journey between the city and Goa are turning into a dangerous ordeal for commuters What makes the situation even more concerning is that the former highway is not just an important road connecting Mumbai and Nashik but is also known as Asian Highway 47With such a critical route in such a poor condition questions are now being raised over who is responsible for ensuring the safety of motorists travelling on this route Despite claims of pothole repairs by the authorities the ground reality tells a different story according to commutersOfficial SpeakThe MumbaiNashik Highway stretch that passes through the Padgha industrial belt PicsBy Special ArrangementA National Highways Authority of India NHAI spokesperson claimed that the stretches in question were being regularly inspected by officials and as per the latest assessment the roads were in good and motorable condition ldquoIf there are specific locations that you believe are in poor condition I would request you to kindly share the exact locationschainages and visit the concerned stretch along with an NHAI representative so that the matter can be verified jointly on siteA pockmarked section of the MumbaiGoa Highway near the Mangaon riverAlso for any specific roadrelated concern you may coordinate directly with the concerned PIUproject director who can provide you with the appropriate factual inputs regarding the respective stretch We would appreciate that any concerns regarding road conditions are verified on site with the concerned NHAI officials before being reportedrdquo the spokesperson saidThe flyover at Nagothane on the MumbaiGoa Highway which has sunk after just one spell of rainIdol Makerrsquos WoesRajesh Sawant an idol maker from Mumbai told middaylsquoMy workshop is in Lalbaug Every year I deliver orders to the Konkan Damage to at least two to three idols is assured The roads have not improved even after decades of promises Those who come to us in person to collect idols also have to drive extremely carefullyrsquoVoicesSakshi Patil who was travelling to a small village near Diveagar RaigadlsquoWe have been travelling on the MumbaiGoa Highway for years and its condition remains a major concern Every monsoon new potholes appear and the incomplete work causes long traffic jams Travelling with elderly family members or children becomes particularly difficultrsquoAzgar Sayyed commuter who travels to NashiklsquoEvery time we travel from Mumbai to our native place we have to drive extremely carefully During the monsoon the potholes get filled with water and it becomes difficult to judge their depth The journey that should take a few hours becomes stressful especially with family in the carrsquoA passenger travelling to his home town in NashiklsquoEvery time we travel from Mumbai to our native place we have to drive extremely carefully During the monsoon the potholes get filled with water and it becomes difficult to judge their depth The journey that should take a few hours becomes stressful especially with family in the carrsquoPrajakta Kadam who visits her native town in Khed annuallylsquoThe highway work has been going on for so many years that we have stopped expecting a smooth journey At some places the road is full of potholes while at others construction is still underway During Ganeshotsav thousands of people travel to Konkan and the authorities should ensure that the highway is safe before the rush beginsrsquoA MumbaiNashik HighwayLocation 1 VadapeIn this village where the Samruddhi Mahamarg begins on the MumbaiNashik Highway the condition of the road has deteriorated severely Potholes at this location were filled just a few days ago However the stretch has once again started crumbling The gravel has come loose and large craters have reappeared exposing the poor quality of the repair work The potholes are forcing vehicles to slow down increasing the risk of accidents particularly because of the heavy traffic on this stretchLocation 2 PadghaJust a few hundred metres from Vadape large potholes have appeared right in the middle of the road at Padgha The area has an industrial belt resulting in heavy movement of trucks and other heavy vehicles As these vehicles repeatedly pass through the potholes the craters are becoming larger and deeper This has increased the danger for smaller vehicles Motorists are forced to suddenly slow down brake or change lanes to avoid the potholes creating a serious accident risk The poor condition of the road is also causing immense inconvenience to commutersLocation 3 Koshimbi ShahapurThe condition of road passing through this spot is so poor that it would not be an exaggeration to say that motorists are travelling through potholes rather than a road Craters can be seen continuously along a stretch of nearly 500 metres According to locals the road was repaired just four months ago Yet the repairs have failed to withstand the monsoonB MumbaiGoa HighwayAwashe in Khed on the MumbaiGoa HighwayLocation 1 NagothaneA flyover constructed in the Nagothane area has sunk after just one spell of rain The construction of this flyover had been underway for 14 years and it was opened to traffic in April However during the first rains in June the flyover sank and was deemed dangerous The road running parallel to the flyover is also riddled with potholes Locals have alleged that the length of the flyover was unnecessarily extended to nearly two kilometresLocation 2 MangaonA bypass is currently being constructed to ease the traffic congestion in Mangaon area The administration has said that the work will be completed in August However Indapur railway bridge the bridge over Mangaon river and the slopes of the connecting roads are still incomplete Therefore there is little possibility of traffic congestion being eased during the GaneshotsavLocation 3 Awashe KhedThe road is covered with potholes Construction of a flyover in the area has also been underway for years While one carriageway has been completed the second one remains incomplete The area also has an MIDC industrial zone resulting in heavy movement of goods vehicles This stretch has consequently become another major obstacle for commuters travelling on the MumbaiGoa Highwaypopcorn number446 km descApproximate length of MumbaiGoa Highway classDefault