This article is the fourth and final part in a multi-part series examining the condition of the Mumbai–Goa National Highway (NH-66), based on field documentation and Right to Information (RTI) data gathered by engineer and activist Chaitanya Patil, along with representations submitted to authorities.
After completing his 490-km on-foot inspection of NH-66, Chaitanya Patil submitted a separate, location-wise report detailing pending works and safety lapses along the Palaspe–Zarap stretch. This stretch covers the entire length of the highway in Maharashtra and continues up to the Goa border. Unlike the earlier reports that classified hazards by category, this document maps what remains incomplete on the ground, stretch by stretch, across the corridor.
The report functions as an inventory of unfinished work. It does not estimate costs, assign responsibility or propose new designs. Instead, it records what remains pending on a highway that has been under widening and upgradation for several years.
A Corridor Still under Construction
The Palaspe–Zarap report prepared by Chaitanya divides NH-66 into 11 continuous segments, beginning at Palaspe Phata near Panvel and ending at Zarap Dam near the Goa border. Across these segments, a consistent pattern emerges. Bridge works remain incomplete, service roads are either missing or damaged, medians are left open, drainage systems are inadequate and diversion roads continue to carry traffic well beyond their intended use.
In the Palaspe to Kasu stretch, the report lists pending works that include clearing potholes on the Kharpada and Durshet bridges, providing drainage at the Pen–Ramwadi bridge, resolving bus turning difficulties at Pen and completing service roads at Ramwadi, the Uchede–Vadkhal bypass and Goa Gate. Water accumulation and potholes are observed in the middle of the carriageway at multiple points, while medians remain open at several locations.
Similar issues recur in the Kasu to Indapur and Indapur to Vadpale stretches. Here, multiple bridges and service roads remain incomplete, with potholes forming mid-carriageway and water stagnation reported during rains. Speed breakers on ghat slopes are described as only partially installed, creating additional risk for descending traffic, particularly during periods of poor visibility.
The report repeatedly flags ghat sections as high-risk zones due to the combination of terrain and unfinished works. In the Vadpale to Bhogao and Bhogao to Kashedi stretches, potholes persist on major bridges, encroachments restrict effective road width and pedestrian crossing facilities are either absent or inadequate. Water leakage inside the Kashedi tunnel is specifically noted as an unresolved issue.
Between Kashedi and Parshuram Ghat, the report documents incomplete service roads at Bharane Naka, unfinished bridges near Khed railway station, damaged service roads at Lote and Dhamandevi and unresolved landslide risks. Drainage failures are noted repeatedly across this stretch, with water accumulation accelerating surface damage. In later stretches, particularly from Parshuram Ghat to Aravali and from Aravali to Kante, the report highlights the continued reliance on narrow alternative roads created during bridge and flyover construction. Median openings remain unsecured, patchwork repairs are underway on active bridges and large infrastructure works, including the Sangameshwar flyover and Kasba bridge, are still incomplete.
The Kante to Waked segment records some of the most severe conditions documented in the report. Alternate roads are described as extremely poor, lacking reflectors and marked by crooked turns and steep slopes. Flyover works at Nivli–Dangarwadi and Pali remain incomplete, while diversion roads near hill-cutting zones are flagged as unsafe and poorly managed.
In the final stretches from Waked to Kankavli and from Kankavli to Zarap, the report notes the need for speed breakers on Rajapur Ghat, persistent water stagnation and potholes on the Kankavli bridge and the requirement for a comprehensive bridge audit. Near Zarap Zero Point, bridge work is progressing slowly, drainage bars remain open and alternate roads continue to be in poor condition.
These issues appear at the tail end of the corridor, underscoring that unfinished works are not confined to isolated pockets but extend across the length of the highway.
The report does not attempt to prioritise the pending works or suggest timelines. Instead, it documents their continued existence, supported by photographs and technical notes. Read alongside accident data and hazard classifications examined in earlier parts of this series, the report reinforces a central finding. Many of the risks on NH-66 persist not because they are unknown, but because completion and follow-through remain uneven across the corridor.
Following the submission of these findings, the office of the chief engineer, ministry of road transport and highways (regional office, Maharashtra and Goa), formally acknowledged receipt of Chaitanya’s on-foot highway inspection report. In a communication dated 20 December 2025, the report was forwarded to state public works department (PWD) officials with instructions to examine the issues highlighted, initiate necessary corrective action and furnish point-wise action taken reports.
With the hazards documented, photographed and placed on official record, the question now shifts from identification to follow-through. Whether these pending works and safety lapses translate into time-bound corrective action will determine if NH-66 moves closer to becoming a safer highway for its users.
(This is the concluding part of a four-part series)
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Chaitanya Patil’s documented process of Rasta Satyagraha has been made publicly available by him here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_Mho2CQVfdLwdM4qB5XG3ZtCMnlnkVVG?usp=sharing and can also be accessed by scanning the below QR code:
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