Do You Want To Walk On The Moon? Visit National Highway 48.

Flood waters completely blocked National Highway 48 on Thursday, adding insult to injury. Between Bharuch and Vapi, the already pothole-riddled highway was in disrepair, with craters nearly one foot deep in several places! Not only are the national highways badly damaged, but so are some important connecting roads to the national highways. A video of a pothole-filled road in Vapi-Silvassa went viral on social media earlier this week.

While officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) blame the rain for the damage, they claim that repairs are done on a regular basis, but the rain resurfaces the potholes. However, even while navigating the potholed road, the poor harried commuter heading towards Mumbai must pay tolls at three locations: Surat, Navsari, and Vapi.

The service road alongside the flyover at Kadodara crossroads had to be blocked as the huge potholes there threaten to overturn heavy vehicles from imbalance. Daily thousands of vehicles pass through the road and at many locations, it leads to traffic jams. The potholes are not only damaging vehicles but threatening to take lives as well from possible accidents. For those commuting long distances, the highway is used only at intervals but for the locals, it is a daily obstacle challenge to cross these spots.

When I was at the Kadodara crossroads, my car's front bumper made contact with the road because the entire front wheel was in a pothole. Driving through these crossroads is a nightmare for regular commuters, according to Hitesh Patel, a resident of Kadodara. Despite repairs, NHAI officials claim that rain and vehicular traffic continue to damage the road. Repair work is being done on the damaged roads, but it will not last long due to rain. We are currently attempting to repair using blocks and other methods, an NHAI official told TOI.

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