Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway to get safer by April

Officials say the work will be completed by April 2024

The 121-km-long, six-lane bituminous carriageway on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway is being overlayed with white topping (concrete) by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). The ongoing white topping project, costing Rs 553 crore, is expected to be completed by April next year. There will now be 10 foot overbridges (FOBs) and three vehicular underpasses (VUPs) at Sativalli, Delhi Darbar and Pandirangwadi on the highway, which are accident-prone areas. Transporters, activists, and Palghar collector's office sources told mid-day that Cyrus Mistry's fatal accident urged highway improvements due to frequent casualties.

After the death of Mistry, mid-day highlighted road design errors and other shortcomings that forced the NHAI to make temporary changes like the installation of sign boards, markings on the roads and lights on the highway, etc. However, both fatal and non-fatal accidents continued to take place due to several reasons. According to reports, around 144 people died in road accidents on MH-48 highway last year.

At least two lanes of the highway are kept open to keep traffic moving

"We are very optimistic about this white topping project. The safety measures at Surya River bridge (where Mistry and his friend died), are in the scope. Also, safety measures for 17 black spots are in the scope of the project," Sumit Kumar, manager, NHAI told mid-day.

"In addition to the existing street lamp posts, around 400 new lamp posts will be installed at around 18 locations where there is no lighting on the stretch at present," he added. According to Kumar, the road markings along the entire stretch will also be revamped. "Also, the advanced traffic management system (ATMS) proposal for this stretch has already been sent to the RO Mumbai and is being processed."

Kumar added that heavy rainfall damages the road annually due to traffic on the bituminous surface. "Hence it decided that white topping is a better and long-term solution as compared to bituminous overlay," he said, adding that the road is being changed from flexible (bituminous) to rigid (concrete) for better performance and as a long-term solution to the issue of potholes.

Asked if traffic movement is getting hampered due to the ongoing project, Kumar said, "Keeping all the safety measures as per IRC guidelines in mind, traffic diversions have been made in work zones. At least two lanes are always available for traffic even in the work zones. Light traffic congestion may occur only during rush hours."

The NHAI is developing the highway from Dahisar toll plaza to the Gujarat border. On Monday, work was started near the Khaniwade toll naka. NHAI awarded the contract to Nirmal BuildInfra Pvt Ltd to develop the 121-km-long stretch. Speaking with mid-day, Ashok Sharma, general manager of Ahmedabad-based Nirmal BuildInfra, said, "This Rs 553-crore project includes three underpasses. The work will reduce accidents and also increase the lifespan of the road. It would also reduce the chances of potholes."

Sharma further stated that the work near Khaniwade toll naka was started on Monday. "We have divided the work into four different sections and installed sewer machines at four locations. We will work on 700 metres to 1.2 km of roads at a time. Many black spots will be also redeveloped under this project," he said.

Sushant Patil, president of NGO Bhoomiputra Foundation, said, "This is happening because of mid-day's series of stories on the poor condition of the highway and the black spot which resulted in many accidents. We have been fighting with the highway authority and collector for the last five years to develop this highway and tackle accident-prone spots."

"A few months back, we placed school bags on the highway and protested. We also held the MH-48 potholes exhibition at Vasai and invited all the authorities, including VVMC (Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation) and NHAI officials. Water logging and potholes on NH-48 have also led to several accidents. We are hoping that no one will die due to accidents on the highway and authorities will deal with the black spots," Patil said.

Speaking with mid-day, NHAI General Manager Suhas Chitnis said, "We are carrying out white topping on MH-48 and the entire stretch will be converted into concrete road. There are 17 black spots on the highway and we are trying to remove most of these. At many black spot sites, we will install signboards to help avoid accidents. This development will increase the life of the highway and also help reduce accidents." About water logging issue Chitnis said, "The water logging issue is not included in this project but a different team is working on it."

Rs 553 cr
Cost of the project