Panaji: Apart from drastically improving connectivity between North Goa and South Goa, the 5.15-km-long six-lane elevated corridor on NH66 through Porvorim will also help Goa’s economy, PWD Minister Digambar Kamat said on Tuesday.
Kamat said major infrastructure projects boost the economy and described the corridor as a landmark project for transport infrastructure.
“Around 75,000 to 80,000 vehicles will ply on the elevated corridor,” he said.
The Rs 641-crore project, targeted for completion in mid-October this year, will be inaugurated on Wednesday by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and opened to vehicular traffic from September 11.
Work on the project was launched on April 15, 2024.
The corridor has been financed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and executed by RRSM Infra Pvt Ltd and Anil Das (JV) under the supervision of the PWD.
“The project will not only ease one of Goa’s biggest traffic bottlenecks but also help smooth travel for locals and tourists,” Kamat said.
Bottlenecks and traffic congestion caused loss of time and wear and tear on vehicles, besides resulting in higher fuel usage. Reaching destinations quickly on a smooth highway adds to the economic growth of any region and the country.
“At the national level, the elevated corridor will bridge the travel gap between Mumbai and Kanyakumari corridor,” he said.
The project, from Km 508.000 to Km 513.150, includes a 4.19-km flyover and 960 metres of reinforced earth wall approaches. It comprises 87 spans of segmental box-girder construction, with a 24.6-metre-wide deck. The right of way varies from 25 metres to 40 metres, an official said.
The project includes 1,431 precast concrete segments, each weighing up to 120 tonnes, and 530 piles of 1,500-mm diameter with depths ranging from 16 metres to 50 metres. Two launching girders, each 118 metres long and weighing 650 tonnes, were used.
Geotechnical conditions required increasing pile depths from the tender provision of 13 metres to 50 metres, while the pile diameter was increased from 1,200 mm to 1,500 mm, the official said.
Construction was carried out amid moving traffic, requiring coordination for segment erection, launching, heavy equipment and safety arrangements. The restricted right of way also created constraints involving construction, traffic, utilities and public access.
The project involved work in built-up areas, relocation of the Khapreshwer temple, felling of 616 trees, including the transplanting of six trees stated to be more than 100 years old, and several court cases.
It is also intended to provide much relief to residents, particularly those in the Porvorim and Saligao constituencies, as the surface roads are expected to be clearer of congestion.
