Mumbai – Goa Travel Time Slashed to 6 Hours as National Highway Nears Completion by June 2025
By Arvind Jadhav
Mumbai : The crucial Mumbai-Goa National Highway, connecting Maharashtra and Goa, is expected to be completed by June 2025. This development will boost tourism, local businesses, maritime trade, and the local economy, while enhancing connectivity between Mumbai and Goa. The national highway project, initiated 14 years ago, has faced numerous delays. However, NHAI will now construct the 84-kilometer stretch from Panvel to Indapur, while PWD will handle the remaining portions. Despite rainfall hindering road construction in Konkan, the highway will soon be accessible, providing full travel services before the monsoon.
Previously, the 466-kilometer journey from Mumbai to Goa took 12 hours. Nevertheless, with the final stages of construction nearing completion, travel time will be significantly reduced to just 6 hours. The initial tender price for widening and concreting the highway was Rs 3,500 crore, but it has now escalated to Rs 7,300 crore due to delays. According to a construction company, the highway is being built along the lines of California’s Pacific Highway. The final phase, involving underpasses, bypasses, and flyovers in Pali, Mangaon, Lanja, Indapur, Chiplun, and Kolad, is slated for completion within five months.
Approved in 2007, the highway’s construction began in 2011, divided into six portions with six contractors assigned. However, delays stemming from land acquisition, compensation distribution, and technical issues led to protests by Konkan residents, forcing some contractors to abandon work. In August last year, a six-day hunger strike highlighted the highway’s delays. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured completion by December 2025. The Mumbai-Goa highway stretches up to Kanyakumari in Kerala, passing through three districts and several talukas in Maharashtra.
The highway’s poor condition has resulted in over 2,500 fatalities, creating a perception among commuters and tourists that the Mumbai-Goa journey is perilous. Delays, accidents, and landslides have hindered regional development. While the previous government set a December 2025 deadline, the highway is now expected to be completed by June 2025.
