PANAJI: Ramakrishna Sudin Dhavalikar, Minister of Public Works Department said that Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways will inaugurate the third bridge over River Mandovi on January 27. The bridge will be open to the general public from January 29, he added.
The bridge is 5.1 km long, characterized as India’s third longest cable-stayed bridge and is considered as an iconic project for the capital city.
The bridge will be thrown open to the public on a trial basis for 30 days from January 29 morning to study the traffic situation and thereafter prepare traffic management plan and notify it.
The construction of the bridge cost Rs 600 crore including lighting
of which Rs 291 crore was sanctioned by the Union ministry. The part of the bridge connecting Ponda will be completed by March 29.
The bridge will reduce the travel time between Mapusa-Panaji-Margao and can share 50 per cent burden of the vehicular traffic currently borne by the two bridges over River Mandovi.
The two-wheelers and three-wheelers will not be allowed on the new bridge but it will be open for all light and heavy motor vehicles The speed limit will be 50km/hr and CCTV cameras and speed sensors will be installed in the next two months.