Heavy vehicles will be prohibited from plying on the Mumbai-Goa National Highway in the run-up and during most days of the 10-day Ganesh festival beginning on August 27 for the convenience of motorists, said a senior Maharashtra government official on Wednesday.

The nearly 500-km-long NH-66, which passes through the coastal Konkan region, sees a heavy rush of Lord Ganesh devotees during and immediately after the festival.

Joint secretary in the transport department Rajendra Holkar informed that vehicles weighing 16 tonnes or more will be banned from plying on the busy highway during the Ganesh festival in the interest of public convenience.