14 years, Rs 16,000 crore later, Mumbai-Goa highway has potholes; locals skip toll

The concerns come as the Mumbai-Goa highway project continues to face delays despite years of work and substantial expenditure. With toll collection now underway, commuters say the immediate priority should be ensuring that completed stretches are safe, durable and usable before additional costs are imposed on road users.Repair work is also underway at several locations, further slowing traffic. (Photo: ITG)Parts of the Mumbai-Goa National Highway (NH-66) that were recently upgraded have developed potholes and surface damage, with even newly laid cement-concrete stretches showing signs of deterioration after the first monsoon rains.The 440-km highway continues to see diversions, waterlogging, road repairs and traffic snarls, even as toll collection began at the Kharpada toll plaza between Panvel and Pen in mid-May. The first-phase toll was fixed at Rs 100, triggering protests and public anger as several widening, bridge and bypass works remain incomplete.Amid the discontent, some local commuters have been taking service roads and even navigating difficult stretches to avoid paying the toll.NEWLY LAID ROADS DEVELOP POTHOLESCommuters say the condition of several stretches has raised questions over the quality and timing of the roadwork. Newly laid asphalt and reinforced cement-concrete surfaces have developed potholes and deep craters after the onset of the monsoon. Repair work is also underway at several locations, further slowing traffic. A video from near Tara village shows repair work on a bridge leading to congestion on the highway.“We are paying Rs 100 as toll, but what’s the service that we are getting? It’s the same potholed roads. Repairs only increase the traffic. Two days back I reached two hours late for work due to traffic,” said Vishwajeet Patil, a Wadkhal resident. There have also been complaints of retaining walls being washed away and inadequate stormwater drainage in stretches including Sangameshwar, raising concerns about the highway’s resilience during heavy rain.Road safety activist and engineer Chaitanya Patil, who walked along the highway for 29 days in 2025 to document its condition, questioned the start of toll collection while several road works remain incomplete. “Toll collection has been started, but good quality roads are still missing. Who is responsible for potholes on the newly constructed reinforced cement concrete road?” he said.Patil said the condition of the road was also one reason some local commuters were avoiding the toll plaza and using service roads instead.NHAI Project Director Ravindra Ingole did not comment on the issue.COLLAPSED MONKEY BRIDGE RAISES SAFETY CONCERNSAnother safety concern has emerged outside the Kannala Animal Sanctuary, where a monkey overpass built by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has collapsed.The bridge was installed in 2021 to allow monkeys from the sanctuary to cross the highway safely. Three types of monkeys are found in the sanctuary, but footage recorded on Tuesday showed them crossing the highway after the overpass became unusable.The stretch is considered a black spot because of the high number of accidents reported there. Railings and road medians in the area have also been damaged in accidents.Patil said the collapse of the animal crossing could put both motorists and animals at risk. “This is the only crossing. Last year, a biker died while trying to save a monkey. Such cases can happen often due to the collapse of this crossing,” he said.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka KumariPublished On: Aug 11, 2026 21:28 IST