PWD confident on completing four-laning on time
The Bambolim-Dona Paula road four-laning project is not 50% ready which started on December 31 last year, and now has reached the halfway mark of the targeted completion date of 210 days.
M P Velayudan, PWD executive engineer being incharge of the project alleged, work is progressing at a fast pace and that PWD is trying its level best to complete the work on time.
The project has been sanctioned at a cost of 33 crore, and consists of four laning the 7km stretch of road from near the Goa Medical College, Bambolim, to the NIO circle in Dona Paula.
Counting footpaths on either side, paved shoulders for the road and a 1m wide median in the centre, the total width of the finished road will be 25m. Underneath the footpath will be ducting for utilities like cables so that in the future if there is any laying of cables no digging will be required.
The prediction of four-laning of the Bambolim-Dona Paula road was done because it will complete the four-lane circuit around Panaji and it was expected to help in ease traffic congestion in Panaji. This four laned road when finished with construction is expected to be used by VIP traffic, tourist traffic and even traffic to the proposed school complex at Bambolim.
A four-lane road already exists in the form of the NH17 from Bambolim to the Panaji bus stand. Not only this from Panaji bus stand to Dona Paula circle, a four lane road exists. Because the Dona Paula to Bambolim road being a narrow track if widened to four lanes, will definitely help in providing easy passage for traffic from Miramar and Dona Paula heading towards Margao via the Taleigao plateau.
Up till now, the broadening of the eastern portion of the road from the Goa Medical College till the Aldeia de Goa complex is finished. The width of the road is promised as 25m but asphalting and finishing remains. The work is still going on opposite the Shyama Prasad Mukherji stadium. But very little work has been done in the western portion of the road from about Aldeia de Goa till NIO circle, and that too in segments.
Doubts about safety of the road or about the road width were cleared by PWD engineers. The finished road will be safe and have a consistent width of 25m all along, they insist.
However the area meant for road widening has been obtained and mud and gravel dumped at places, electricity poles, trees, still line the road opposite Mathias Ocean Park residency or near Manipal hospital. Goa University stretch remains untouched.
The PWD engineers alleged that the extent of the work inculcates planting double the number of trees that will be felled. They added, around the time of the monsoon a tree-planting drive will be taken up on a war footing.
Source: Times of India
Aldeia de Goa complex, Bambolim, Electricity poles, Goa Medical College, Goa University, M P Velayudan, Manipal Hospital, Margao, Miramar, NIO circle, Panaji, Public works department, PWD, PWD executive engineer, Shyama Prasad Mukherji stadium, Taleigao plateau, the Bambolim-Dona Paula road, Trees
