Mumbai’s ambitious road concretisation programme, launched to create pothole-free roads across the city, has crossed the 80% completion mark after nearly three years of work and an investment exceeding Rs 17,000 crore. However, progress has varied significantly across different parts of the city, with several stretches in South and Central Mumbai still awaiting completion.
According to data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), work has been completed on 1,575 of the 2,175 roads included under the citywide project. Another 325 roads are currently under construction, while work on 275 roads has yet to commence.
The project covers a total road network of 714.10 kilometres and is presently 80.5% complete. Around nine percent of the work is underway, while 10.5% remains pending.
The initiative was rolled out in two phases. Phase I began in 2023 and covered more than 300 kilometres of roads, while Phase II, launched in 2024, includes approximately 400 kilometres. Civic officials have attributed delays to consecutive years of extended monsoon seasons as well as the complexities involved in managing underground utility infrastructure.
BMC officials explained that beneath Mumbai’s roads lies a dense network of water pipelines, sewer lines, stormwater drains, gas pipelines, electricity cables and telecom infrastructure operated by multiple agencies, making road reconstruction a challenging exercise.
“Navigating, shifting and protecting the underground infrastructure is a major factor in the delayed progress,” Abhijit Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (projects) at the BMC, told ThePrint.
In April this year, Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide instructed civic departments to complete ongoing roadworks before the onset of the monsoon and set revised deadlines for the project. Under the updated schedule, Phase I is expected to be completed by December 2026, while Phase II has been targeted for completion by May 2027.
The road concretisation initiative was announced in 2022 by then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as part of a broader effort to make Mumbai free from potholes and improve the durability of the city’s road infrastructure.
Source: The Print
