Ganeshotsav Travel: Mumbai-Goa Highway Repairs 70% Complete

The Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) has announced that around 70% of repair work on the Mumbai-Goa Highway (NH-66) has been completed, despite weather-related disruptions caused by heavy rainfall.

With an estimated 10 lakh commuters expected to travel to the Konkan region for Ganeshotsav, authorities are accelerating repairs using steel slag technology—a byproduct of steel manufacturing. Successfully used in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, this method is being applied at multiple stretches to quickly seal potholes while enhancing durability, skid resistance, and load-bearing capacity, ultimately reducing long-term maintenance costs.

The 460-km Mumbai-Goa highway is split between the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which oversees 84 km, and the PWD, which manages the remaining stretch.

Public concerns around road safety intensified following a viral drone video showing crater-like potholes on the Vashishti bridge in Chiplun. Officials have clarified that the bridge was promptly repaired.

To ease festival traffic, the Deputy RTO (Panvel) has imposed restrictions on heavy vehicles over 16 tonnes on specific days to prevent congestion.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.