Built at a cost of Rs 482 crore, new highway to ease traffic congestion
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant with Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira and MLAs Digambar Kamat and Vijai Sardesai after the inauguration of the western bypass.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant opened the 11-km Rs 482 crore Margao Western bypass for vehicular traffic on Monday, saying the bypass is a Christmas and New Year gift for the people of South Goa.
The Chief Minister reiterated his government’s commitment to connect the State borders to the capital city, Panaji, in the next five years. He said the Cuncolim-Cancacona stretch of the NH66 would be ready within the next four years, which would streamline the flow of heavy traffic on the national highway.
Inaugurating the remaining stretch of the 2.75 km western bypass, between Seraulim and Benaulim, in the presence of Salcete’s lone Minister Aleixo Sequeira, MLAs Digambar Kamat and Vijai Sardesai, and others, the Chief Minister said the 11-km western bypass had cost the government a whopping Rs 482 crore, with central funds providing Rs 247 crore and the State government contributing Rs 235 crore for its construction.
“Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira called on me on Sunday with a plea to open the western bypass for traffic due to the heavy traffic rush during the festive season. A decision was made yesterday itself to inaugurate the bypass to ease the acute traffic congestion. The bypass inauguration will provide a huge relief for traffic. It is a Christmas and New Year gift for the people of South Goa,” he said.
Sawant said Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari, along with the Minister for Ports, would soon inaugurate the MPT connectivity road in Vasco, which would help ease traffic congestion in the port town.
Saying that road infrastructure had received a major boost in the last five years, the Chief Minister said the government would now focus on building the missing links to connect border areas such as Molem, Keri, Patravadei, and Polem to the State capital in the next five years.
Expressing his satisfaction that the "double-engine" BJP government had given a big boost to road infrastructure in Goa, the Chief Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Gadkari for supporting Goa to the hilt in road infrastructure.
“There are some projects, such as the Dabolim airport flyover, which Gadkari proposed himself. The Union Minister has funded Goa’s road infrastructure in an unprecedented way. Whenever he sees congestion on the roads, he has proposed the necessary infrastructure,” he added.
One lane opened amid last-minute checks
Though the Seraulim-Benaulim stretch of the western bypass was commissioned by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday noon, the road bypass was not fully opened for vehicular traffic until the evening.
Traffic officials informed that the bypass was not opened for traffic until the evening on Monday. A PWD-National Highway official, however, said one lane of the commissioned Benaulim-Seraulim stretch had been opened for traffic and the second lane would be opened on Tuesday.
The official pointed out that the employees of the contractor were checking the illumination installed along the Benaulim-Seraulim stretch to ensure that everything was in place before traffic could ply the road.
