Litigation over the Panvel-Indapur stretch through the protected Karnala Bird Sanctuary held work up for years until the National Green Tribunal approved widening of a regulated 10 km eco-sensitive zone in 2015. Contractor financial troubles then further hindered progress.
The project began under a build-operate-transfer model but alleged non-performance and land issues led the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to terminate the concession in 2021 after providing Rs 5 bn in assistance. The Supreme Court upheld the termination and a new contractor took over in 2022 under an engineering, procurement and construction model.
In 2023 the union minister said work was 90 per cent complete, yet the 84 km Panvel-Indapur stretch remained plagued by potholes and cracks and new structures showed defects after their first monsoon. The Nagothane flyover developed cracks and an enquiry was ordered, with teams dispatched from Delhi and a temporary closure planned.
Officials patched a parallel service road with paver blocks, which the guardian minister for Raigad criticised as unsuitable for heavy traffic and directed the use of more durable methods, with repairs due by 25 August. Residents reported inconvenience where construction forced traffic onto the service road.
Government data record at least 97 deaths and over 200 injuries in 170 accidents linked to potholes since 2020, while a local engineer and activist who has monitored the project for years walked 490 km from Panvel to Goa in 2025 to document defects and pressed authorities for preventive action. Political leaders have traded blame over delays and calls for transparent explanations have intensified.