Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has granted coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearance for construction of new six-lane Zuari bridge, the lifeline connecting North with South Goa.
In a meeting held on Monday, the GCZMA has granted permission to Public Works Department (PWD) for construction of the bridge under CRZ notification 1991. The foundation stone of the bridge, Rs 3,000 crore project, would be laid on December 19 in the hands of Union Minister for Road Transport and National Highway Nitin Gadkari.
Sources confirmed about CRZ clearance granted to the project, wherein the project proponent has to follow all the rules laid down under CRZ notification 1991 by the Union Ministry for Environment and Forest (MoEF).
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has floated the first tender for the project at an estimated cost of Rs 850 crore. Two more tenders are expected soon.
The State has finalised one-km-long alignment that will have a five-km-long flyover. The proposed bridge to be constructed in four phases, will be built over the existing Railway Bridge according to PWD officials.
The government is planning to make the new Zuari bridge, a signature bridge, with unique design features to attract tourists. There has been a demand for another bridge over the Rive Zuari as the condition of the present bridge has been deteriorating progressively. Goa PWD’s report of 2009 mentioned dangerous cracks on the bridge and had suggested a new bridge within two years.
