MARGAO
Opening of the Zuari bridge may have rung in good news for the motorists as well as citizens, bridging the gap between North and South Goa as the new bridge raised hopes of the reduction in travel time between the State capital and the commercial capital and down South.
Considering that the Mopa international airport is expected to take off in the new year, the commissioning of the bridge ahead of the full-fledged operations at Mopa may indeed come as a blessing, especially for the people down South.
However, it may take around three years, if not more, before the National Highway 66, between Zuari bridge and Polem, plays host to a smooth flow of traffic, with several highway expansion projects either underway or in the stage of execution.
The Margao western bypass, the Cuncolim road bypass, the Navelim-Cuncolim four-lane project, the elevated corridor at Chinchinim, and the Karmal ghat highway expansion are some of the projects along the NH-66 between Zuari bridge and Polem which may take time for completion.
Margao western bypass
While the 11-km western bypass, spanning from Verna and Navelim, is almost complete, work on the problematic Seraulim-Benaulim stretch is yet to take off in a big way. After the NGT-appointed panel recommended construction of the 980-metre stretch of the bypass on stilts, sources say it may take some time to complete work on the missing link between Navelim and Nuvem. Take note, the High Court has set December 2023 as the latest deadline for the government to complete the western bypass. And, with the Benaulim villagers intensifying the over half-a-decade-long battle for the construction of the balanced stretch on stilts, sources wondered whether the Margao bypass will be complete in all respects this year.
Navelim-Cuncolim 4-lane
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has sanctioned a 4-lane of the Navelim-Cuncolim stretch of NH-66 at Rs 300-odd crore. The project is believed to have found mention in the Annual plan of the Union Surface Transport Ministry. The project, however, is still not tendered yet and the process is expected to be complete only before the monsoons. Considering that the project has proposed to build an elevated corridor at the Dandeavado-Chinchinim stretch, sources said the project may take around two years for its completion and commissioning.
Cuncolim bypass
While the 4-lane Cuncolim-Navelim project will be executed right up to Uskiniarik-Cuncolim, just before the Cuncolim market, the national highway expansion project is set to hit a dead end at Cuncolim. For, the PWD, National Highway is yet to acquire land for the Cuncolim bypass, from Cuncolim to Balli, a distance of over 7-8 kilometres.
PWD Sources informed that the centre has approved the land acquisition proposal for the Cuncolim bypass in the annual plan. The official, however, pointed out that it may take over a year to complete the land acquisition proceedings before the project is tendered.
Considering the fact that the land acquisition process has still not been set in motion, which will be followed by the tendering process, sources said it may take around three years for the Cuncolim bypass to take shape.
Karmal ghat road expansion
This stretch of the National Highway 66 starts at Bendulem in Balli and ends at Gullem in Canacona and involves cutting thousands of trees to make way for the highway expansion. Accordingly, the National highway is required to comply with the mandatory requirements under the Forest Act, by obtaining relevant approvals. Since the process of obtaining approvals is time-consuming, with the PWD required to comply with the conditions in stages, the highway expansion on the Karmal ghat section is expected to consume time. Sources informed that the Karmal ghat section may take a minimum of three year time before the highway expansion project becomes a reality.
