Service roads, drains being readied as monsoon nears; NH-66 partial closure soon
BUILDING UP MOMENTUM: Launching of pre-cast segments is set to gain momentum on both the Porvorim and Sangolda sides of the elevated corridor.
Photo Credits: Agnelo Pereira
MAPUSA
With all 88 piers of the Porvorim elevated corridor now completed, focus has shifted to the critical phase of segment launching, alongside the construction of stormwater drains and resurfacing of service roads, ahead of the impending monsoon.
Public Works Department (PWD) officials confirmed that work is progressing steadily.
A 1-kilometre stretch of the service road from O’Coqueiro circle to Mall de Goa has already been completed and hotmixed.
On the opposite side, the existing service road is expected to meet the traffic demands during the next phases of construction.
Drain construction has also commenced, starting near the residence of former MLA Fatima D’Sa.
"Now, the contractor is concentrating more on drain work, resurfacing of service roads and launching of segments," said Jude Carvalho, Executive Engineer, PWD (NH Division).
"By the end of June, the segment launching work will reach the new Sangolda bypass junction," he added.
Originally, phased closures of the busy National Highway 66 (NH-66) were planned to facilitate faster construction. However, the plan had to be temporarily shelved due to the discovery of a weak culvert on an internal diversion road near the Sangolda junction. This delayed the safe rerouting of traffic.
"We will now close the NH-66 stretch from Sangolda bypass junction to O’Coqueiro Circle for traffic movement by the end of June," Carvalho confirmed.
"The closure is expected to last for about seven to eight months and during this period, we aim to significantly speed up the launching of segments," he added.
The segment launching is being carried out simultaneously from both ends — the Porvorim side and the Sangolda side. On the Porvorim end, 9 to 10 spans have already been completed, while on the Sangolda side, work on the third span is currently underway.
Each 40-meter span of the corridor requires the placement of 14 pre-cast segments, while a 50-meter span requires 17.
"Our original plan was to complete one span per week. However, due to the ongoing vehicular traffic, it takes around 10 days to finish one span. Still, we are completing three spans every month," Carvalho said.
Despite minor delays, PWD officials are confident that the elevated corridor project will be completed on schedule by April 2026.
Once operational, the elevated corridor is expected to dramatically ease traffic congestion on this key stretch of NH-66, providing much-needed relief to thousands of daily commuters.
The Porvorim elevated corridor, a vital infrastructure project, is seen as crucial to improving traffic movement between Panaji and Mapusa and ensuring a safer, faster, and more efficient travel experience along Goa’s most important highway.
