The Konkan Expressway (Mumbai–Goa Highway) will feature no physical toll booths, according to Nitin Gadkari. Instead, the expressway will use a satellite-based tolling system combined with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).
After facing years of delays, the Mumbai-Goa Highway is finally close to being completed. The 466-kilometre stretch from Panvel to Sindhudurg is now in its last stage of construction and is expected to be fully open by March 2026, as per various news report. Once it opens, the new four-lane expressway will cut travel time between Mumbai and Goa from 12-13 hours to just six hours. It’s also expected to give a strong push to tourism and trade along the scenic Konkan coastline.
The highway, also known as NH 66 or the Konkan Expressway, passes through Raigad and Ratnagiri districts. It aims to greatly improve road connectivity between Maharashtra’s financial capital and the popular coastal state of Goa.
A major highlight of the project is its smart toll system. Using satellite tracking and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, vehicles will be able to pay tolls automatically without stopping at toll booths. Officials say this will ease traffic jams, save time and fuel, and make toll collection more transparent and efficient.
Once completed, the Konkan Expressway will connect Panvel (Navi Mumbai) to Sindhudurg, covering Raigad and Ratnagiri. The expressway covers 232 villages of 17 talukas and 3 districts of Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. The MSRDC officials have stated that there will be 14 exchanges on the expressway.
According to the Public Works Department (PWD), work on the Mumbai-Goa Highway is moving quickly across its 10 construction sections. In Sindhudurg district, two parts of the project (P-9 and P-10) are almost 99 per cent complete. In Ratnagiri, two other parts (P-4 and P-8) are 92 per cent and 98 per cent finished, while the slower sections (P-6 and P-7) are now progressing well under new contractors. In Raigad, work on packages P-2 and P-3 has reached 93 per cent and 82 per cent, and P-1 is already more than halfway done.
Once the expressway opens, it will bring new opportunities for local people, hotels, small businesses, and industries that depend on transport. The improved road will also make it faster and safer to reach the Konkan’s beautiful beaches, old forts, and coastal towns, helping the region’s tourism and trade grow.
When completed, travellers can look forward to a six-hour scenic drive from Mumbai to Goa, marking the start of a new era of smooth, easy, and enjoyable travel along India’s most loved coastal route.
It is to be noted that the deadline to finish the Mumbai-Goa Highway has been pushed back several times over the years. In April 2025, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha that the project is now expected to be completed by September 2025.
He explained that the delays happened mainly because of land acquisition problems, slow pre-construction work, and financial issues faced by some contractors. These challenges caused repeated setbacks, but officials say work is now moving steadily toward completion.
