The Central government has finally floated the tender for the new bridge over River Zuari connecting Agasaim in the North with Cortalim in the South on National Highway 17. This is one of the most important links on the highway and the existing bridge is a major one that connects North Goa with South Goa, it being the shortest route between the State capital Panjim with the district headquarters of Margao. It is also the only link on the shortest route from any place in North Goa to Dabolim airport and Mormugao port, which fall in the South Goa district. The other connection between the two districts in via the bridge at Borim, but where distance between Panjim and Margao or Vasco is concerned this involves a long detour, therefore necessitating the bridge between Agasaim and Cortalim.
With increasing traffic movement, the need of a new bridge over the river at this point has been felt, especially as the current bridge has been showing signs of strain. The condition of the existing two-lane bridge is serious with the bridge showing signs of deterioration long before its projected lifespan of 50 years. The constant repairs conducted on the bridge over the past few years have apparently not been able to strengthen it. An inspection by the Public Works Department conducted in 2009, a decade after the bridge underwent major repairs, had reported dangerous cracks on the bridge and the report had suggested that a new bridge be built within two years. That’s how precarious the condition of the current bridge is.
It is six years since that inspection was conducted and the report prepared, but it is only now that the Centre has taken the first tangible step towards constructing a new bridge over the river. In the meantime, from 1997 till today, there has been no heavy traffic allowed to ply on the bridge. The only six-wheelers allowed to use this bridge are the Kadamba Transport Corporation buses plying on the Panjim-Margao and Panjim-Vasco routes, and a few other inter-state buses. All other heavy traffic involving six-wheelers and heavier vehicles is diverted via Borim, which involves a longer distance and hence an increased travel time. The new bridge will hopefully take care of both these concerns.
According to the State government the new bridge over the Zuari is going to be a sight for sore eyes. The aim is to make it a tourist attraction with plans involving a revolving restaurant that will give the diner a 360 degrees view of the entire countryside. While a bridge of that sort that will be a matter of pride, the government has to ensure that the structure’s stability and strength is not compromised. Goa has already experienced falling bridges in the past and the lessons of the existing bridge over the Zuari must be learnt and not repeated.
It is a fact that a bridge designed by the consultancy firm that is designing the Zuari bridge collapsed in Surat, Gujarat in June 2014. That already raises questions on why the government did not change the consultancy firm for the Zuari bridge. No doubt the Goa government has constituted a five-member expert panel that will have on it engineering agencies empanelled with the Central and State governments to study the design but it has to ensure that the local topography and climate are taken into consideration in the design process.
But it’s not just in the construction of the bridge that strict monitoring needs to be taken. Post construction it is the maintenance of the bridge that will also have to be as strictly monitored. After spending Rs 1500 crore on the entire project, including the bridge, the government cannot allow the bridge to go the way of the existing one. Monitoring the bridge should be a continuous process, right from the design stage to the construction and then the maintenance, or else like the present bridge it could show signs of strain long before its estimated lifespan.
