Gadkari to inaugurate one part of new Zuari bridge on Dec 29

Panaji: Serpentine queues of vehicles and traffic snarls on the Zuari bridge will soon be a thing of the past as the state government on Thursday decided to inaugurate one four-lane section of the new bridge on December 29 at the hands of Union minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari. It will likely be thrown open for traffic the following day.
At least 4,000 people are expected to attend the inauguration ceremony.
Once the section of the new bridge is opened, all traffic proceeding to Panaji from Margao and Vasco will be diverted onto it. However, light motor vehicles, including two-, three- and four-wheelers proceeding from the state capital to Margao and Vasco will not be permitted on the new bridge. They will have to use only the existing Zuari bridge. Out of the four lanes of the new bridge, one will be open solely for heavy vehicles proceeding from Panaji towards Margao and Vasco.
Chief minister Pramod Sawant, who inspected the new Zuari bridge along with PWD minister Nilesh Cabral and other officials on Thursday, said although its inauguration was planned for Monday, it had to be postponed to December 29.
“The total length of the bridge is 13.2km and its elevation is 8.2km. The project has cost Rs 2,530 crore,” Sawant said while explaining that the government had decided to open one four-lane section of the new bridge to alleviate traffic congestion. The project’s second phase, he said, will be completed at a later stage.
Cabral said that although the state government hasn’t yet decided on a name for the new bridge, it will be announced at the inauguration ceremony following deliberations with Sawant and Gadkari.
The bridge, termed as one of India’s widest, is located on the Zuari river at Cortalim on the Margao-Panaji national highway.