The Airoli–Mumbra sections of the Airoli–Katai corridor may open before the route reaches Katai. Local reporting describes finishing work and load testing still to come on Phases I and II, while Phase III remains under construction.
Maharashtra Times reported on 9 October that authorities were planning for a Diwali opening of the Airoli–Mumbra section. The report said final work and load testing were pending. This is a reported expectation, not a confirmed traffic-opening notice.
The same report described Phase III as a 6.71-kilometre elevated connection from the highway to Katai Naka, under construction with an October 2028 target. A target remains a schedule. In its 7 May update, MMRDA said Phase II was complete, Phase I was nearing completion and Phase III was progressing. It projected a 35-to-40-minute travel-time reduction; the sources reviewed do not provide observed journey times after an opening.
A Thane district Section 19(1) declaration dated 28 September, published on 9 October, identifies 3.1566 hectares in Katai as needed for the 45-to-65-metre road project. It says no objections were received within the prescribed period and no landholders are being displaced for rehabilitation purposes.
The declaration is a statutory land-acquisition step. It does not show that an award has been paid, possession transferred or construction completed on the land. The next records to watch are the load-test and traffic-opening notices for Phases I and II, then the acquisition award, possession and construction milestones at Katai.
