Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari today informed that the much-awaited construction work of Mumbai-Goa National Highway No 66 will be completed by December, 2023 and the road will be open for traffic in January 2024. The Minister conducted an aerial inspection of the construction work of Mumbai-Goa highway and addressed the media afterward at Ratnagiri. Industries Minister of Maharashtra Uday Samant was also present on the occasion.
The Minister further informed that the Mumbai-Goa highway has been divided into 10 packages. Out of these, two packages (P-9, P-10) in Sindhudurg district are almost 99 percent complete. There are total 5 packages in Ratnagiri district and 92 percent and 98 percent work of two of these packages (P-4, P-8) has been completed respectively. Rest of the work is in progress. The delayed works for two packages (P-6, P-7) has been resumed by appointing a new contractor, informed the Minister. Out of the three packages in Raigad district, two packages (P-2, P-3) have been completed up to 93 percent and 82 percent respectively. More than half of the work on package (P-1) has been completed and the remaining work will be completed soon, he added.
The Road Transport and Highways Minister further said that land acquisition and environmental clearances for the Panvel-Indapur phase had delayed the work on the Mumbai-Goa National Highway. He said that now all these hurdles have been cleared and the environmental issue is being taken care of by removing the flyover in the Karnala sanctuary area.
The Minister informed that the construction work in Goa of the Mumbai-Goa National Highway has been completed. The Mumbai-Goa National Highway is a highway connecting major tourist destinations in Konkan. This will boost tourism development. Also, as there is a road connecting major industrial areas, industrial development will also get a boost, said the Minister.
The minister also announced three new projects worth Rs 15 thousand crores. These include the Rs. 1,200 crore Kalamboli Junction project, the Rs. 1,200 crore Pagode Junction Chowk to Greenfield Highway project and the Rs. 13,000 crore Morbe – Karanjade highway connecting Delhi via JNPA. The works of these projects will start soon.
Earlier this morning, the Minister laid the foundation stone of three national highway projects worth Rs. 414.68 crore and 63,900 km long at Palaspe village in Raigad district. These projects will boost economic dynamism at the two ports of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and Dighi, while concretisation of Panvel to Kasu highway will speed up travel and save fuel.
Bamboo Crash Barrier
To avoid accidents, a proposal to install Bamboo Crash Barrier on the sides of Mumbai-Goa highway has been given to the National Highway Authority. Also, the state government has been asked to carry out wide plantations along the highway, the minister informed.
Signages as per international standards
The Minister said that signages as per international standards will be installed on the Mumbai-Goa National Highway. This will help reduce the number of accidents and also make travel easier, he said.