MUMBAI: The much-delayed widening of the Mumbai-Goa National Highway will be completed by December 2023 end, announced Union minister for transport and national highways Nitin Gadkari. The road will be commissioned for traffic in January 2024, and Mumbai-Goa commuters will be able to cover the distance in 4.5 hours.
“It is regrettable that this is perhaps the only road project in the country that has taken the longest time to be completed,” he said, adding that the road witnessed several accidents which was very unfortunate. “I don’t know why, but several contractors have been appointed and terminated for this project,” he said. The highway is being built and widened to 6-8 lanes in 11 phases.
Gadkari was in Panvel on Thursday for the bhoomipujan of the Panvel-Indapur stretch of the national highway where he announced three new highways and also carried out an aerial inspection of the ongoing work on the Mumbai-Goa highway along with state industry minister and MLA from the Konkan Uday Samant.
“The process of land acquisition, delay in giving out relief and obtaining forest clearances have delayed the project, but now all hurdles, including court cases, have been cleared,” said Gadkari. He announced that the Panvel-Indapur stretch will be concretised, and said forest clearance had been obtained to build a flyover on Karnala Sanctuary stretch and two contractors had been appointed to carry out the work on the Panvel-Indapur road.
“It is regrettable that this is perhaps the only road project in the country that has taken the longest time to be completed,” he said, adding that the road witnessed several accidents which was very unfortunate. “I don’t know why, but several contractors have been appointed and terminated for this project,” he said. The highway is being built and widened to 6-8 lanes in 11 phases.
Gadkari was in Panvel on Thursday for the bhoomipujan of the Panvel-Indapur stretch of the national highway where he announced three new highways and also carried out an aerial inspection of the ongoing work on the Mumbai-Goa highway along with state industry minister and MLA from the Konkan Uday Samant.
“The process of land acquisition, delay in giving out relief and obtaining forest clearances have delayed the project, but now all hurdles, including court cases, have been cleared,” said Gadkari. He announced that the Panvel-Indapur stretch will be concretised, and said forest clearance had been obtained to build a flyover on Karnala Sanctuary stretch and two contractors had been appointed to carry out the work on the Panvel-Indapur road.
