Mumbai-Goa Highway: New Deadline for Delayed Project, Commuters Face Prolonged Troubles

• The Mumbai-Goa National Highway (NH-66) widening project, started in 2013, faces significant delays, particularly beyond Indapur.
• Four flyovers in Ratnagiri district (Lanja, Nivli, Pali, Sangameshwar) and two bypasses (Indapur, Mangaon) are incomplete, causing major bottlenecks.
• The Indapur and Mangaon bypasses, initially part of the original contract, required new tenders and are now expected to finish by March 2027.
• The four flyovers are targeted for completion by March 2026, but their ongoing work has affected traffic for two years.
• An engineer, Chaitanya Patil, undertook a 29-day foot march, documenting flaws and submitting a report to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, highlighting the project's issues.

Why It Matters: Mumbai-Goa Highway widening faces prolonged delays, with key sections not expected until 2026-2027.