Gadkari to lay foundation stones for Khandepar bridge, Varunapuri road soon.

Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari will lay foundation stones for two major infrastructure projects in Goa, the four-laning of the Varunapuri-Mormugao harbor road and the Khandepar bridge.

Announcing this to mediapersons recently Goa PWD minister Ramkrishna 'Sudin' Dhavalikar said that in the next two years, Goa will see unprecedented growth to fulfill the BJP-led government's assurances to the people before the 2012 assembly elections.

Gadkari will arrive in Goa on April 9 and preside over a function to mark the laying of the foundation stone for the 5km-long four-lane road from Varnapuri to the Mormugao harbor including the 3.2km-long flyover. This Rs550 crore project has already been tendered and the work order is expected to be issued by April 25 to Gammon India. The project will be completed within a year, Dhavalikar said.

Gadkari will attend another function in the afternoon at the community hall, Taleigao, to mark the laying of the foundation stone for the Khandepar bridge. The110metre- long RCC four-lane bridge will connect Usgao to Khandepar. The project includes widening of the approach roads. On the Ponda side, the widening will stretch up to Safa Masjid. The total project length is 7km and the cost is around Rs240 crore.

The PWD will also pursue all major projects including the widening of NH 17, NH 4-A and a new Zuari bridge. The central government has agreed to fund the widening of both highways and also the construction of new Zuari bridge. The bridge will be a six-lane, cable-stayed bridge with a four-lane road from Bambolim to Verna. The cost of the project is estimated to be around Rs 1,850 crore, including flyovers and subways. The project will be tendered around June and actual work is likely to start around October, Dhavalikar said.

TOI