40 accidents, 12 deaths in nine months on Kashedi-Lote highway stretch
Nine months after the Mumbai-Goa highway's four-laning, the Kashedi-Lote stretch has recorded 40 accidents and 12 deaths, with black spots still unaddressed.
When the four-laning of the Mumbai-Goa highway was completed after an outlay of crores of rupees, travel was expected to become faster and more comfortable. But the roughly 30 kilometre stretch from Kashedi ghat to Lote has turned out very differently for motorists. In just nine months, the road has seen as many as 40 accidents, killing 12 people and injuring more than 30 others. Despite this, anger is growing as the administration has not acted.
Four spots on this stretch have proved especially dangerous: the Kashedi tunnel, the Khavati curve, the Jagbudi bridge, and the Lote junction. The necessary safety measures have still not been put in place at any of these four spots. With accidents continuing to occur, questions are being raised over whether these "black spots" remain only on paper.
Although traffic moves fast through the Kashedi tunnel, water flowing inside the tunnel during the monsoon, leakage, and a slippery road surface create a major hazard. Inadequate lighting and anti-skid measures inside the tunnel have made this stretch especially deadly for two-wheeler riders. It had also come to light a few days ago that many lights inside the tunnel were not working.
The sharp curve near the railway bridge at Khavati has also become accident-prone. The absence of direction boards, blinkers and other precautionary measures there means drivers are confronted by the curve suddenly and misjudge it. As a result, the series of accidents at this spot has not stopped.
In July and August, incidents occurred in which heavy containers went out of control on the Jagbudi bridge and fell directly into the riverbed. Even after that, the administration was expected to learn a lesson and take concrete steps. But work to put up strong crash barriers at the dangerous spots has still not begun. This raises the question of whether the administration will act only after a major, fatal accident occurs.
Whether it is Ganeshotsav, Diwali, Shimgotsav, or the daily travel of Konkan residents, this bloodshed on the highway needs to stop. The toll of 12 dead and more than 30 injured in nine months is being seen as a warning sign for the administration.
There is a growing demand for an urgent safety audit of the entire Kashedi to Lote stretch, and for crash barriers, direction boards, blinkers, adequate lighting and anti-skid measures to be scientifically installed at all the black spots without delay. There is an expectation that the administration will answer when actual work to save motorists' lives will begin, instead of the farce of inspections, meetings and assurances.
