Taking serious note of mid-day’s article highlighting potholes on the newly inaugurated stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg between Igatpuri and Amane, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has carried out repairs on the affected patch.
An MSRDC official said, “The bitumen layer over the bridge on the Samruddhi Mahamarg that had developed potholes has been repaired. Instructions have been issued to officials concerned to regularly inspect the stretch. Maintenance teams will address any road-related issues on priority to ensure motorists don’t face inconvenience.” MSRDC officials also shared photos of the repaired section, where potholes appear to have been completely patched.
MSRDC said, “The reported surface damages are on the approach of the vehicular underpass. This is not structural damage but is the wearing out of 25 mm to 30 mm thick bituminous overlay on the Pavement Quality Concrete (PQC) surface near the underpass. This is due to heavy rain in the area. There are seven small potholes aggregating one square metre. The special maintenance team has taken prompt action, and the damaged surfaces have been properly restored. Traffic is plying on the stretch smoothly.”
On June 24, mid-day reported the presence of potholes on the newly opened 76-km stretch between Igatpuri (Nashik) and Amane (near Mumbai), raising safety concerns for high-speed motorists. The stretch was inaugurated on June 5 with much fanfare by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde.
While most of the Samruddhi Mahamarg is constructed using cement concrete (CC), bridge sections are paved with asphalt. Photos shared by motorists showed 5–6 prominent potholes on the bridge surface. The R1182-crore stretch had been open to traffic for barely two weeks, raising concerns over premature wear.
This isn’t the first time the quality of the Samruddhi Mahamarg has come under scrutiny. In April 2025, mid-day had reported cracks on the concrete surface between Amane and Shahapur, before the stretch was open to the public. That report had also flagged illegal motorist access to unopened sections of the highway.
