Mahad: The Mumbai-Goa highway, delayed for the past 17 years, remains incomplete. A significant portion of it in the Raigad district is still in an unfinished state. From Nagothane for 1 to 2 kilometers, some distance before Kolad, and from Lonere to Veer, there are potholes and mud everywhere. The bypass roads at Indapur and Mangaon, along with the flyover at Kolad Lonere, and many other small works remain incomplete. This year too, devotees traveling to Konkan for Ganesh Chaturthi will have to face potholes and traffic jams.

The work on the four-laning of the Mumbai-Goa highway has been ongoing for 17 years, with 6,000 crore rupees spent over the last 10 years. Despite this, the highway remains incomplete, and even the completed sections are now beginning to deteriorate. Every year, representatives from the ruling party conduct inspection tours to appease the people of Konkan. Before Ganeshotsav, potholes are temporarily filled to make the road passable. So far, 192 crore rupees have been spent on repairing the highway.

Last year, after four to five inspections of the highway's deteriorating condition by Public Works Minister Ravindra Chavan, it was promised that the highway would be completed by the end of December 2023. However, with August 2024 now here and observing the state of the highway from Wadkhal to Veer, it is clear that even by the end of December 2024, this work will not be completed. The work on the highway from Veer to Lonere, Indapur to Kolad, and Nagothane to Gadab remains unfinished, and there are large potholes on the service roads. This indicates that this year's Ganeshotsav will see major traffic jams, and devotees traveling to Konkan will have to endure a bumpy ride.

The Raigad Press Club expressed regret that the work on the Mumbai-Goa national highway has not been completed in seventeen to eighteen years. They suggested that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), known for completing some road projects quickly and setting records in the Guinness Book, should also show similar dedication to getting the Mumbai-Goa highway registered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-delayed highway project.

The bypass road intended to divert traffic from the narrow roads of Mangaon town is also delayed, leaving the traffic congestion issue unresolved. This year, the protective wall of the flyover at Khamb collapsed. Cracks have appeared in the concrete road in various places, indicating a lack of quality and standards in the construction work.