Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the first phase of the new Zuari bridge in Goa. The bridge is the second-largest cable-stayed bridge in India. The bridge is built over the famous Zuari River in the state and is eight lanes wide. The new bridge in Goa is expected to improve connectivity between North Goa and South Goa. After the inauguration, he spoke about some upcoming developments in the state as well.
Nitin Gadkari Inaugurates Zuari Bridge
The state government stated that after the entire eight-lane bridge is ready, it will surely be India’s widest cable-stayed bridge. The 640-metre-long bridge is being built in three phases. Beginning on Thursday night, a four-lane right-hand passage across the Zuari River and the approaches from Bambolim to Verna were made accessible to vehicles.
The new bridge will cover a distance of 13.2 kilometres between North Goa’s Bambolim and South Goa’s Verna villages. The inauguration of the bridge took place in the presence of Union Minister Shripad Naik and Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. Before the inauguration, Goa’s CM himself drove a car to get a firsthand experience of the structure.
Phase I of the New Zuari Bridge will be inaugurated tomorrow in the presence of Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri @nitin_gadkari ji.
Goa’s Road Infrastructure development is fuelled by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji’s vision of ‘Navbharat Nirman’. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/ZVfbyNM5AW
— Dr. Pramod Sawant (@DrPramodPSawant) December 28, 2022
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Construction Of The Bridge Began Back in 2016
After inaugurating the bridge, Gadkari said that the bridge is wider than the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai. He said that he dreams of seeing a revolving restaurant and viewing tower here too. About 49 per cent of employment in Goa comes from the tourism sector. Building a viewing gallery atop the Zuari bridge is his responsibility, and he says he will make it happen soon.
CM Pramod Sawant had proposed a request for the construction of a ring-circular road in Goa. To this, Nitin said that the cost will not be more than ₹22,000 crores and he will revert soon after studying the proposal.
The work on the Zuari bridge construction began back in 2016. A PWD app was also launched by Nitin Gadkari for integrated operations management. CM Pramod gave ₹2 lakhs, through the government of Goa’s insurance scheme, to the family members of all the construction workers who lost their lives. The total cost for the construction of this bridge is ₹2,530 crores.
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Cover Image Courtesy: @pramodsawant/Twitter